£120 million: Manchester City close in on a stunning deal

A strong reinforcement

Manchester City are closing in on a heavyweight summer signing, edging nearer to a deal for Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez that could be worth up to £120 million.

According to the ESPN network, City are ready to meet Chelsea's financial demands to land Fernandez, one of their leading targets this window.

New manager Enzo Maresca wants to rebuild the club's midfield, and the interest in Fernandez flows directly from that. The departures of Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders left a significant void in the centre of the pitch.

Those two exits brought in more than £100 million. That gives City the firepower to finance a major deal with just days left before the market closes.

Chelsea, for their part, have no objection to Fernandez leaving Stamford Bridge. They will not budge, though, on the £120 million valuation they have placed on the Argentine.

City want the deal done quickly. Fernandez brings vast international experience, ranks among the finest players of his generation in his position, and represents a strong addition to the project Maresca is building.

He has thrived under Maresca before at Chelsea. That history says plenty about how much the Italian rates a player whose game he knows inside out.

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