Manchester City are really preparing to make a formal offer for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández in the coming hours.
That is the latest information coming from Argentina, where the well connected TyC Sports say the Citizens are ready to test Chelsea’s resolve with an “exorbitant” proposal.
The transfer has entered a decisive stage. There is optimism that an agreement can be reached before the window closes.
City, however, will need to spend an extraordinary amount of money to make that happen.
Manchester City ready to make formal offer
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea looks on
during the UEFA Champions League
Atalanta BC v Chelsea FC at Stadio di Bergamo.
TyC Sports report Chelsea have made their position clear. They would only consider selling Fernández if an offer gets close to €140m (£120m).
Manchester City have been preparing a proposal worth around €120m (£103m). The Argentine outlet believes they could stretch further to get the deal done.
Fernández is a major target for Enzo Maresca. The City manager worked with the midfielder at Chelsea and sees him as an ideal replacement for Rodri. And that interest remains despite Manchester City’s recent move for Ayyoub Bouaddi.
He is also described as wanting a change of scenery, which would obviously help City if negotiations between the clubs progress.
Chelsea are reluctant to lose such an important player. However, TyC Sports suggest Xabi Alonso is already preparing for the possibility of being without him.
Fernández was left out of the starting XI for Chelsea’s latest match, and Alonso did little to close down the transfer talk afterwards.
“In football, nothing surprises me. We’ll see this week… My wish is that we know what will happen in the future, but we’ll see this week,” he said. And the Argentine press paid attention.
Chelsea set very high price
The €140m (£120m) demand gives Chelsea plenty of protection this late in the window. They would need to replace Fernández and could also use part of the money to strengthen elsewhere. That explains why Manchester City’s planned €120m (£103m) offer may still fall short.
There is also an obvious reason for some caution here. A deal of this size between two Premier League rivals would be enormous. The figures being pushed in Argentina are huge, and there is still a sizeable gap between City’s reported proposal and Chelsea’s asking price.
What does appear clear from TyC Sports’ information is that this is being presented as more than exploratory interest. We recently covered information that anticipated that. They say a formal bid is now coming in the next few hours.
If that arrives around the reported €120m (£103m) mark, Chelsea will have a big decision to make. Manchester City would then find out whether €140m (£120m) really is a firm demand or the starting point for one last negotiation.
