Enzo Fernandez sends Chelsea farewell message amid £125m Manchester City agreement

Enzo Fernandez has posted a farewell message to Chelsea supporters as he prepares to leave the club for Manchester City in a deal worth £125m.

The Premier League clubs have reached an agreement for the Argentina midfielder, who joined Chelsea from Benfica in January 2023 for £106.8m. That transfer was a British record at the time.

Writing on Instagram, Fernandez said: “I want you to know that these days have not been easy for me, and writing this message is not easy either; the truth is that I have not been at my best recently.”

He added: “Three years ago, Cobham and Stamford Bridge became a home for me and my family. I became very attached to the people, the shirt and the badge of this wonderful club.”

Cobham is Chelsea’s main training centre, while Stamford Bridge is the club’s home stadium.

Fernandez said his ambition from the moment he arrived had been to win trophies with Chelsea.

“Believe me when I say that, from the very first moment I arrived, I was obsessed with winning and bringing every trophy this club’s history deserves,” he wrote. “We suffered and cried, and I often felt angry, but we also celebrated unforgettable trophies and victories; we shared everything together, in both the good times and the difficult ones.”

He continued: “I live football in the same way that I live my life: with passion and with all my heart. That is why I want you to know that I understand you; I really understand you, from the bottom of my heart.”

Fernandez acknowledged that his departure was the result of a difficult decision, despite his strong attachment to Chelsea.

“But life requires us to make decisions, and I now find myself having to make one of those difficult decisions,” he said. “I have said it before, but I want to repeat it: I have become very attached to this club. Chelsea will always have a place in my thoughts and, above all, in my heart. However, I understand football very well. I know how passionate you are because I feel the same passion; if I were in your position, I might think in the same way.”

The midfielder thanked Chelsea’s coaching and medical staff, physiotherapists and everyone else who works for the club. He also paid tribute to his team-mates.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing all those moments with me. I was truly happy here, and I wish you all the best and every success in the future,” he wrote. “Thank you for all the love and support you gave me and my family throughout these years; I will never forget it.”

He concluded: “This group will give you more and more reasons to be happy, and I will be happy for you too. Never doubt that. You will always be in my heart, and I will always wish you all the best and every success.”

Chelsea said on 14 August that it expected Fernandez to remain with the team for the 2026-27 season after a deadline set by the club passed without Manchester City making an offer.

The London club had valued Fernandez at £120m and insisted that he would not leave during the summer if no bid matching that figure was received before the deadline. Chelsea said its conditions had been communicated to Manchester City and Fernandez’s camp, while the player’s representatives had known about the valuation since May.

The Athletic reported that Manchester City turned to Fernandez after Liverpool rejected an offer of up to £80m for forward Cody Gakpo. The two clubs have now agreed a deal for the Argentina international.

Fernandez was booed by Chelsea supporters during the team’s final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad, with the same reaction repeated in the opening Premier League match against Fulham.

At the end of the Fulham game, Fernandez went down the tunnel towards the dressing rooms rather than joining his team-mates in front of the away supporters. He then missed Chelsea’s next two matches, against Luton Town in the EFL Cup and Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.

Fernandez has made 170 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 31 goals and providing 30 assists. His contract with the club runs until 2032.