Manchester City have agreed a £125m fee with Chelsea for midfielder Enzo Fernandez, with the Argentina international set to undergo a medical before completing a long-term move.
The deal matches the joint-British transfer record set when Liverpool signed Alexander Isak for the same amount on transfer deadline day last summer. It is also the second time Manchester City have broken their own transfer record during this summer window, following the £116m arrival of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
Negotiations between the clubs took place over the past 24 hours before an agreement was reached. Fernandez’s personal terms are not expected to present a problem.
The 25-year-old joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 for £107m, which was then a British transfer record. He has been pushing to leave Stamford Bridge since March, despite Chelsea’s wish to retain him earlier in the summer.
Fernandez had been hoping to join Real Madrid, but the Spanish club eventually ruled out making an offer in a statement. He will now reunite with Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca, who worked with him during his time in charge of Chelsea and is keen to coach him again after losing several midfielders this summer.
Fernandez was absent from Chelsea’s squad for Sunday’s 4-3 Premier League victory over Brighton and their 2-0 Carabao Cup win against Luton three days earlier. Reports in Argentina said he had asked not to be selected.
Chelsea had set a deadline of 17:00 BST on 14 August for clubs to submit offers of at least £120m, in an effort to resolve the uncertainty before the beginning of the 2026-27 season.
The transfer will make Fernandez the fourth player to move to a Premier League club for a fee of £100m or more this summer. Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea for £117m, Bradley Barcola moved to Liverpool for £123m and Anderson signed for Manchester City.
City have seen four midfielders leave the Etihad Stadium this summer. Tijjani Reijnders joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah for £52m, Rodri moved to Barcelona for £65m, Nico Gonzalez joined Newcastle for £52m and Bernardo Silva departed earlier in the window before signing for Real Madrid as a free agent.
Manchester City have also sold Savio to Tottenham for £75m. They are due to receive a further £60m from the London club next summer when Omar Marmoush’s loan move is made permanent.
Their incoming business has included 18-year-old midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi from Lille for £86m, Brazilian winger Allan Elias for £34m, winger Jeremy Monga and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli for smaller fees. Their total spending could increase again, with Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye set to join in a deal worth up to £65m.
Chelsea sales set for record total
Fernandez’s departure is the second-biggest sale in Chelsea’s history, behind Eden Hazard’s 2019 transfer to Real Madrid. It also means Chelsea are set to record the highest income generated from player sales in a single Premier League window.
The midfielder’s move follows Nicolas Jackson’s £65m transfer to Aston Villa and Liam Delap’s £50m switch to Nottingham Forest. Chelsea’s sales this summer are now expected to exceed £400m, comfortably surpassing the previous record of about £300m set by the club last season.
Chelsea needed to reduce the size of their squad after finishing 10th last season. They are out of European competition this campaign and ended the previous season without a trophy.
