Manchester City face a fresh decision over Enzo Fernandez after Chelsea deadline passes

Manchester City’s pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has entered uncertain territory after the deadline set by the London club for a £120m offer expired without the Premier League champions making a bid.

Chelsea had laid out a clear scenario for negotiating Fernandez’s departure from Stamford Bridge, but that arrangement is no longer available. The deadline passed on Friday, and the club has since withdrawn the conditions it had imposed for allowing the Argentina international to leave.

Chelsea now expect Fernandez to remain at Stamford Bridge for the 2026-27 season. The midfielder has already returned to action after his post-World Cup holiday, making his first appearance under Xabi Alonso in Saturday’s victory over Real Sociedad.

Despite Chelsea’s change of position, Manchester City have not abandoned their interest in Fernandez, according to The Telegraph and transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano.

The situation means the proposed move has entered unknown territory. Manchester City could make another attempt in the coming days, but would now have to reopen negotiations and agree an entirely new set of transfer terms with Chelsea.

The club’s interest in Fernandez is closely linked to Rodri’s expected move to Barcelona. The Catalan club have submitted a third offer to Manchester City for the Spain international midfielder after their first two proposals were rejected.

Barcelona’s latest bid increases the guaranteed fee to €70m. Their opening proposal was worth about €45m before it was raised to almost €65m.

There is optimism at Barcelona that an agreement for Rodri could be reached during the current weekend. Manchester also believes the negotiations will eventually lead to a deal.

The sale of Rodri would give Manchester City greater room under financial fair play regulations and could help them complete a move for his replacement.

Fernandez remains the preferred option at the Etihad Stadium, and the expiry of Chelsea’s deadline does not mean the case is closed. Manchester City will first wait for the final outcome of Rodri’s transfer before deciding how to proceed with their pursuit of Fernandez.

Maresca, Manchester City’s new manager and Fernandez’s former head coach at Chelsea, said on Friday that his club would not take part in the deadline game set by Chelsea.

Chelsea’s position is intended to underline that the club remains in control of Fernandez’s future. The midfielder is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2032, giving Chelsea a strong negotiating position.

Manchester City’s hierarchy has remained in regular contact with Fernandez’s representatives in recent days, according to Romano’s latest update on the transfer market.

The fundamentals of the situation have therefore not changed: Manchester City still want Fernandez, but they are no longer dealing with the same Chelsea that had opened the door to his departure on clearly defined terms, effectively treating the figure as a release clause.

The next step will be for Manchester City to decide how much they would be prepared to pay to reopen Stamford Bridge and secure the Argentina midfielder.