Enzo Fernandez transfer to Manchester City edges closer as Chelsea enlist Jorge Mendes

Chelsea have taken further steps towards selling Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez this summer, with the club bringing in prominent agent Jorge Mendes to help accelerate negotiations over a move to Manchester City.

Manchester City remain interested in signing the Argentina international, while manager Enzo Maresca is keen to be reunited with the midfielder, having previously worked with him at Chelsea.

City are continuing their efforts to complete the transfer and Maresca is understood to be strongly determined to bring his former player to the Etihad Stadium. Fernandez is also believed to have already agreed personal terms with Manchester City.

Chelsea’s position has shifted significantly. The club had previously insisted Fernandez was not for sale, but are now increasingly willing to sanction his departure. The decision to involve Mendes is viewed as a further indication of Chelsea’s growing determination to reach an agreement.

Mendes was involved in Fernandez’s move to Stamford Bridge in January 2023 and has now returned to the negotiations to help facilitate the player’s exit.

The main obstacle is the fee. Manchester City are understood to have made an informal offer of 120m euros – about £100m – last week, but Chelsea rejected it.

Chelsea want to secure the maximum possible return for Fernandez, who impressed with Argentina at the 2026 World Cup. The club are thought to value him at about £120m, a figure Manchester City are reluctant to meet.

Despite the difference in valuation, the transfer increasingly appears likely to go ahead. Maresca wants Fernandez, the player wants to join Manchester City and Chelsea are actively working to make a sale possible. With those positions aligned, the remaining issue appears to be financial rather than a lack of agreement over the move itself.

Manchester City could create additional room in their budget through the expected departures of Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders. The possible sale of Savinho could also provide the club with greater flexibility as it seeks to find a compromise with Chelsea over Fernandez’s price.

Maresca’s relationship with Fernandez may prove decisive. The Italian coach knows the midfielder’s abilities from their time together at Chelsea and is believed to be convinced that Fernandez could take Manchester City’s midfield to another level.

Fernandez joined Chelsea in January 2023 and has since established himself as an important Argentina international. His potential move to Manchester City would reunite him with Maresca and place him at the centre of a high-value summer transfer.

For now, the two clubs remain apart over the fee. But with the manager, player and Chelsea apparently all moving towards the same outcome, the question increasingly appears to be when Fernandez will become a Manchester City player, rather than whether he will join the club at all.