Chelsea expect Enzo Fernandez to stay after deadline for Manchester City bid passes

Chelsea expect Enzo Fernandez to stay at the club for the 2026-27 season after their self-imposed deadline passed without receiving a bid from Manchester City.

On Wednesday Chelsea imposed a deadline for City — or any club — to lodge an offer for the Argentina international before 5pm (11am ET) on Friday.

Chelsea say no offer arrived for Fernandez and the club have indicated that subsequently the verbal terms proposed to Fernandez’s camp for potential suitors at the end of May now no longer stand.

Chelsea value the 25-year-old at £120million and insisted if an offer of that figure did not arrive inside the outlined timeframe he will not leave the club this summer.

The west London club said that their demands were communicated to City and Fernandez’s camp with his agent being aware of their valuation since May.

Fernandez’s contract with Chelsea runs until 2032.

He trained as normal with the rest of the Chelsea squad on Friday despite the noise around his future.

The Athletic reported in April City were considering Fernandez as a midfield option this summer. Midfielder Rodri has been the subject of an offer from Barcelona, while Tijjani Reijnders is close to joining Al Qadsiah. The club completed the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest earlier this summer.

Fernandez cast doubt over his future on multiple occasions during the 2025-26 campaign, leading to Real Madrid publicly denying reports linking the club with a move for him in July with an official statement. The Spanish club said it had not made “any efforts, either directly or indirectly” to sign Fernandez and had “no intention of pursuing such an operation”.

Despite this, new manager Xabi Alonso said at his unveiling on July 13 he had spoken to Fernandez and that he wanted him to stay, with his midfield team-mate Moises Caicedo this month also urging him to stay at Stamford Bridge.

Fernandez joined Chelsea from Benfica for £106.8m in January 2023 — then a British transfer record — shortly after helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup.

Speaking after Chelsea’s Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain in March this year, Fernandez said he would assess his future after the World Cup and questioned the decision to part ways with former head coach Enzo Maresca. During the international break later that month, he spoke of wanting to live in Madrid and expressed his admiration for Real Madrid.

Then-head coach Liam Rosenior said “a line was crossed” and left the Argentina international out of the squad for two fixtures. Fernandez’s agent, former Argentina international Javier Pastore, told The Athletic that the punishment was “completely unfair”. The midfielder later apologised and returned to the squad.

Fernandez has made 169 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 31 goals and providing 29 assists. He has won the Conference League and Club World Cup in 2025 during his three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge.

How do Chelsea handle Fernandez from here?

Analysis from football writer Cerys Jones

With no bid that meets their terms, Chelsea say Fernandez is expected to be a Chelsea player this season. It is now Xabi Alonso’s job to decide whether the noise of this summer, and the past six months, have any effect on Fernandez’s relationship with the club and standing in the squad.

Fernandez captained the team 23 times last season — though he is not formally named as a ‘vice-captain’, only Reece James wore the armband more.

He was a British record signing on his arrival in 2023, one of the showpieces of Chelsea’s ambition. He has been one of their most important players, but questions about his suitability for leadership are becoming increasingly hard to ignore. There is his disciplinary record, with ten yellow cards last season; his comments in the media that led to a two-match suspension in April, in which he never outright expressed a desire to leave but cast doubt on his future at the club; and now, this summer’s saga, which has evidently frustrated Chelsea.

It is important to stress that Fernandez never explicitly expressed a desire to leave Chelsea in any media interviews, but vague comments about his future have certainly not settled things down.

Chelsea are trying, through experienced signings and the appointment of Alonso, to create a more stable and disciplined culture. Is Fernandez wearing the armband (when James is unavailable) setting the right example? Or would it create more discord to change his status in the squad?

It is also worth noting that, as Fernandez’s agent Javier Pastore told The Athletic in March, there had been talks about renewing his contract but an agreement could not be reached. The plan, Pastore said, was to revisit this after the World Cup and “explore other options” if no agreement could be reached.

Whether these events have changed Chelsea’s thoughts on negotiating improved terms with Fernandez remains to be seen.