Chelsea set to send Enzo Fernández to Manchester City for record £125 million

Enzo Fernández is on the verge of another record transfer. Manchester City have agreed a reported £125 million deal with Chelsea for the Argentine midfielder, a fee worth about €146 million and equal to the British record Liverpool agreed to pay Newcastle United for Alexander Isak.

The Athletic reported that Chelsea had given Fernández permission to undergo a medical. England’s transfer window was due to close at midnight Central European Time, adding a deadline to the move.

Fernández arrived in the Premier League in January 2023, when Chelsea signed him from Benfica for a then-record £106.8 million. If the City transfer goes through, he will become the first player sold twice in his career for more than £100 million. He signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea that runs until summer 2031.

The midfielder scored 15 goals and supplied seven assists for Chelsea in all competitions last season, finishing behind João Pedro as the club’s second-highest scorer. He also won the Conference League and Club World Cup with the London side. At the World Cup, he helped Argentina reach the final with important goals in the round of 16 and semifinal, but missed the end of the final after receiving two yellow cards and being sent off.

Manchester City have already made major moves this window, signing Elliot Anderson for £116 million, Ayyoub Bouaddi for £86 million and Brazilian winger Allan Elias for about €40 million. The club have also raised about £280 million through sales including Savio, Rodri, Nico González, Tijjani Reijnders, James Trafford and Nathan Aké. Fernández would reunite with Enzo Maresca, who coached Chelsea until January and is now City’s head coach.