Chelsea issue ultimatum to Man City over signing Enzo Fernandez as Xabi Alonso stance revealed
David Ornstein has revealed that Chelsea have set a ‘deadline’ for Manchester City to offer £120m to sign Enzo Fernandez.
Fernandez was one of Chelsea’s better performers last season, but he also has apparent attitude problems and has been heavily linked with an exit in recent weeks.
Man City are among the clubs linked with Fernandez and it has been reported that they have stepped up their interest in recent days.
Enzo Maresca is reportedly keen on a reunion, and they could sign Fernandez and Ayyoud Bouaddi after landing Elliot Anderson, partly because Rodri looks increasingly likely to join Barcelona this summer.
However, Chelsea have complicated Man City’s chances of signing Fernandez, who is reportedly valued at £120m.
READ: Chelsea bomb squad reassigned: Delap among four to stay in Premier League
Ornstein has revealed to The Athletic that the Blues have ‘set a deadline’ of Friday evening for Man City to pay £120m to land Fernandez.
‘Chelsea have set a deadline of 5pm this coming Friday (12pm ET) for Manchester City to make an offer for midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
‘The west London club have said that, if their £120million ($161m) valuation of the player is not met by their deadline later this week, the Argentina international will not be leaving the club.’
Man City wait to discover Chelsea’s resolve as Xabi Alonso stance revealed
The Athletic’s Man City reporter Sam Lee has acknowledged that Chelsea’s valuation “feels very steep”, while City will now “find out” whether the Blues will change their stance.
“An overall price of £120m [for Enzo Fernandez] feels very steep, and it’s much easier to imagine them [Manchester City] trying to bring the price down,” Lee explained.
READ MORE: Arsenal reach decision on selling Martin Zubimendi to Chelsea for £77m
“However, they are very keen to sign him and have been all summer.
“City are determined to back Enzo Maresca this summer, and that includes the desire to sign Fernandez. City will be trying to find out whether Chelsea’s stance is not quite as firm in private as it is in public, even if their decision to set a public price and deadline implies otherwise…”
Chelsea reporter Simon Johnson, meanwhile, has revealed that new Blues boss Xabi Alonso has “spoken to Fernandez” and has a stance on the midfielder staying.
“Chelsea’s first game of the season is under two weeks away, and understandably they do not want this saga dragging on for the rest of the month, therefore providing a big distraction,” Johnson explained.
READ NEXT: What is SCR? How is it different from PSR? And how is it biased against your club in particular?
“The club have been clear with their valuation of Fernandez from the get-go, so the message is quite simple: pay up or don’t. They also do not want to be scrambling late in the window for a replacement.
“New manager Xabi Alonso has spoken to Fernandez since taking over and is happy to have him in his plans.
“Chelsea are also prepared to welcome him back into the fold after the events near the end of last season, which included handing him a two-game ban for comments made in interviews about club decisions, as well as appearing to flirt with Real Madrid.
“Chelsea believe he can thrive under Alonso’s direction and want the circus around his future to end.
“Given the price Manchester City paid for Anderson (£116m) and Tottenham’s £100m on Sandro Tonali, charging £120m for a World Cup winner will seem justified to those at Stamford Bridge.”
