Despite the end of the transfer window: Chelsea snatch Enzo Fernandez's replacement from the jaws of Al-Ittihad

The Argentine midfielder has moved to Manchester City: so who will be his replacement?

Chelsea are close to snatching a surprise deal from the jaws of Saudi club Al-Ittihad, despite the end of the summer transfer window in the English Premier League.

The French website "Foot Mercato" reports that Chelsea have made contact with Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, the former Liverpool midfielder, hoping to sign him during the current summer transfer window.

Their surprise move for Wijnaldum stems from the crisis they suffered in the final hours of the window yesterday, Tuesday, after agreeing to sell Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City.

Chelsea had struck a deal with Monaco for Senegalese midfielder Lamine Camara to replace Fernandez. Then the French club performed a stunning U-turn after selling American forward Folarin Balogun to Everton.

According to the French website, the London club want a free agent in midfield, knowing they can still register him after the window has shut. Wijnaldum tops the list of candidates for the role.

The Dutchman's name had also been linked with a move to Al-Ittihad. He spent three seasons in the Saudi Roshn League with Al-Ettifaq, who let him go when his contract expired at the end of last season.

Sign the 35-year-old, and Chelsea would bring him back to the English game five years after he left it, having swapped Liverpool for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021.

He would also line up once more alongside Englishman Jordan Henderson in midfield. The pair were teammates at Liverpool between 2016 and 2021, then again at Al-Ettifaq during the first half of the 2023-2024 season.

Al-Ittihad, meanwhile, are linked with several other midfielders who could replace Wijnaldum should they miss out on him. Among them are Colombian Richard Rios of Benfica and Algerian Anis Hadj Moussa, the Feyenoord star.