Manchester City Agree $169 Million Deal for Chelsea's Enzo Fernández

LONDON —

Manchester City has agreed to pay Chelsea $169 million (£125 million) for midfielder Enzo Fernández, matching the record fee for a transfer between two English clubs, ESPN and BBC Sport reported. The Argentina international is set to undergo a medical before signing a long-term contract, according to both outlets.

The fee equals what Liverpool paid Newcastle for striker Alexander Isak last year, BBC Sport reported. Chelsea bought Fernández from Portuguese club Benfica in February 2023 for £107 million, which was then a British record, according to BBC Sport.

A Push To Leave

Fernández had been trying to leave Chelsea since March, BBC Sport reported, and had hoped to join Real Madrid before the Spanish club issued a statement ruling out a bid. Chelsea fans booed him during a preseason friendly against Real Sociedad and again during the team's Premier League opener against Fulham, according to ESPN. New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso left him out of the squad for a Carabao Cup win over Luton, saying the two had agreed it was better for Fernández not to play, ESPN reported. He also sat out a 4-3 Premier League win over Brighton, according to BBC Sport.

Chelsea had set an asking price of £120 million in late May and set an August 14 deadline for bids, ESPN reported. No offers came in by that date. City intensified talks over the past two days and agreed to pay £5 million more than Chelsea's asking price, according to ESPN.

At Manchester City, Fernández will reunite with manager Enzo Maresca, who coached him at Chelsea before moving to City, BBC Sport reported.

A Record Summer Of Sales

The deal is the second-largest sale in Chelsea's history, behind only Eden Hazard's move to Real Madrid in 2019, according to BBC Sport. Combined with earlier sales this summer, including Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa and Liam Delap to Nottingham Forest, Chelsea's transfer income for the summer is expected to top £400 million, up from a club record of about £300 million a year earlier, BBC Sport reported.

Chelsea is looking for a midfield replacement. ESPN reported that Roma's Manu Koné and Monaco's Lamine Camara are among the possible targets, but Yahoo Sports reported that both players, along with Bournemouth's Alex Scott, have already been ruled out, leaving Chelsea to rely on Moisés Caicedo, Roméo Lavia and Valentín Barco.