Will Man City move for Fernandez as Chelsea deadline approaches?

ByEmlyn Begley

BBC Sport journalist

Could contiguous beryllium the time that decides perchance 1 of the biggest transfers successful history?

Chelsea acceptable a deadline of Friday astatine 17:00 BST for offers for Manchester City people Enzo Fernandez, who they worth astatine £120m.

The imaginable determination would spot the Argentina midfielder nexus up again with caller City brag Enzo Maresca, who was formerly his manager astatine Chelsea.

"I don't deliberation we're going to bash thing today," said Maresca erstwhile asked successful a quality league connected Friday if they were apt to bash imminent transportation business.

But that does not mean they volition not commencement to marque their determination down closed doors.

City person already made a big-money midfield signing this summertime successful Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson for £116m.

A imaginable woody for Fernandez seems to trust connected City selling Spain midfielder Rodri, officially the champion subordinate astatine the 2026 World Cup among galore different accolades, to Barcelona.

And it could summation the imaginable beef betwixt City and Chelsea pursuing Maresca's determination this summer.

The reply to the question is yes. City are not readying to motion Fernandez if Spanish World Cup-winner Rodri stays.

Defensive midfielder Rodri has been a important portion of City's occurrence successful caller years, helping them triumph the 2022-23 Treble - including scoring the victor successful the Champions League last against Inter Milan.

The 30-year-old has played 298 times, lifting a full of 4 league titles, positive respective cups - and winning the Ballon d'Or.

Rodri wants to instrumentality to his autochthonal Spain and articulation Barcelona - with Real Madrid having dropped retired of the pursuit - and City are asking for 80m euros (£68.4m).

But Barca's opening bid for a subordinate retired of declaration adjacent summertime was lone £38.5m.

BBC Sport's Simon Stone says the Rodri and Fernandez deals happening are babelike connected each different - but bash not request to spell done astatine the aforesaid time.

If City knew Rodri was going it would alteration them to marque a bid for Fernandez.

And it is imaginable helium could adjacent motion earlier Rodri is acceptable to play again aft a insignificant backmost procedure.

Maresca is intelligibly a immense instrumentality of Fernandez, having made him Chelsea skipper erstwhile Reece James was injured.

And helium played the Argentine successful 79 of his 92 games successful charge.

Fernandez is by quality a antiaircraft midfielder - but Maresca played him further guardant galore times past play erstwhile Cole Palmer was injured - starring to him scoring a career-best 15 goals.

That means determination are respective places Fernandez could acceptable into Maresca's City team.

The Abu Dhabi-owned nine besides signed England midfielder Anderson from Forest this summer.

Anderson, similar Fernandez, has played successful assorted midfield positions - antiaircraft and further forward.

So that would springiness Maresca immoderate flexibility erstwhile naming a squad - and means Anderson and Fernandez would beryllium perfectly susceptible of playing together.

City proceed to beryllium linked to different antiaircraft midfielder excessively successful Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Fernandez's narration with Chelsea worsened aft the exit of Maresca successful January.

In March helium criticised the nine aft a dense decision by Paris St-Germain successful the Champions League - and past said his imagination was to determination to Madrid.

Those Madrid comments led to Chelsea dropping him for 2 games.

Last period Real Madrid released a connection saying they would not beryllium signing Fernandez - which near City arsenic the lone existent contenders.

This deadline is conscionable an arbitrary 1 Chelsea person acceptable City - oregon immoderate different squad - to marque an connection for Fernandez.

The existent transportation deadline is connected Tuesday, 1 September astatine 23:00 BST.

BBC Sport's Chelsea newsman Nizaar Kinsella says insiders importune the accidental volition beryllium gone and Fernandez volition enactment until adjacent summer, if City bash not marque their determination connected Friday.

He adds it is seen arsenic a win-win for Chelsea, who either support their subordinate oregon slope £120m.

Whether Chelsea would really crook down 1 of the biggest transportation offers successful past - if it came a fewer days aboriginal - remains to beryllium seen.

But clubs bash often instrumentality to their deadlines - arsenic Manchester United learned successful 2020.

They felt Borussia Dortmund were each speech erstwhile they set a deadline of 10 August to motion Jadon Sancho.

But erstwhile the Red Devils accrued their bid aft that date, Dortmund rejected it - and they had to hold different twelvemonth to motion him.

If Fernandez did articulation City for £120m it would marque it the 4th biggest transportation successful shot history.

And it would besides mean City made 2 of the biggest six signings ever this summer.

Only Alexander Isak from Newcastle to Liverpool past summertime for £125m, positive Paris St-Germain's deals for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe successful 2017, outgo more.

Anderson presently ranks 5th connected the database - and Fernandez himself squeezes into the apical 10 for his £107m determination to Chelsea from Benfica successful February 2023.

A woody would instrumentality City's spending this summertime past £250m pursuing the recruitment of youngsters Pierce Charles, Jeremy Monga and Mathys Detourbet and back-up keeper Geronimo Rulli.

And for 2026 it would beryllium approaching £350m aft they spent £82.5m connected Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi successful January.

But players connected large contracts person near connected escaped transfers this summertime including Bernardo Silva and John Stones - positive the merchantability of James Trafford to Leeds for up to £45m.

City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders is set to articulation Saudi Pro-League outfit Al-Qadsiah successful a £52m deal.

This was already guaranteed to beryllium a summertime of immense upheaval astatine City with legendary brag Pep Guardiola leaving aft 10 years successful charge.

He led City to 17 large trophies, including six Premier League titles, and changed the mode galore English teams play football.

Maresca, erstwhile his adjunct manager astatine Etihad Stadium, takes his place.

But connected the transportation it marks a existent extremity of an epoch too.

If Rodri goes, it means lone 3 players who started the 2023 Champions League last would inactive beryllium astatine City - Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish, whose aboriginal is uncertain.

Defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji person some been sold this summer, and Silva and Stones near astatine their extremity of their contracts.

Chelsea volition look to regenerate Fernandez if helium does permission - and their deadline would springiness them implicit 2 weeks to bash so.

Three weeks agone they had a £64m connection for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott rejected.

The Blues person besides been precise engaged this summertime - and broke their nine grounds to motion attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers for £117m from Aston Villa.

Their spending has already gone past £300m, including £52m for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix and £47m for Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra.

Selling Fernandez would instrumentality their income full beyond £250m.

City and Chelsea are already not connected large presumption aft the circumstances astir Maresca's exit from Chelsea and determination to City.

He was often butting heads with the Blues' owners successful his 18 months successful complaint and connected 1 January near the club.

They were 5th erstwhile helium near and ended up 10th - with Xabi Alonso having already replaced Maresca's replacement Liam Rosenior this summer.

At the clip Maresca's exit was referred to arsenic communal but helium has since said helium resigned - and admits it "opened a path" for him to determination to City.

It was ever wide reported helium was the frontrunner to regenerate Guardiola whenever the Catalan near City, having been his adjunct before.

And definite capable astatine the extremity of the play helium did articulation City, who had to wage Chelsea a immense compensation figure, adjacent though helium was nary longer their manager.

Chelsea newsman Kinsella explained: "There is nary uncertainty that, due to the fact that of Maresca, determination is atrocious humor betwixt Chelsea and Manchester City and losing Fernandez to the Sky Blues would adhd different section to the story.

"Maresca's mid-season exit was disruptive and unsettled players successful the squad, including Fernandez himself, and led to a lengthy ineligible quality that yet saw Chelsea person £17.2m successful compensation.

"The Italian had doubly attracted involvement from City earlier walking retired connected Chelsa. Ultimately, Maresca got his determination but was besides forced to apologise connected Instagram and wage an undisclosed sum to Chelsea."