Manchester City Agree British Record £125m Deal for Chelsea Star Enzo Fernandez

Manchester City have agreed a £125m deal with Chelsea to sign Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, equalling the British transfer record.

The two Premier League clubs reached an agreement following negotiations over the past 24 hours. Fernandez, 25, is now expected to undergo a medical before signing a long-term contract with City, with personal terms not expected to cause any problems.

The £125m fee matches the amount Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak on transfer deadline day last summer.

Fernandez arrived at Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 for £107m, which was a British record at the time. His move to Manchester would also become the second-largest sale in Chelsea’s history, behind Eden Hazard’s 2019 transfer to Real Madrid.

The midfielder already knows City manager Enzo Maresca after working with the Italian at Chelsea. Maresca is keen on a reunion following major changes to City’s midfield this summer.

Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders, Nico Gonzalez and Bernardo Silva have all left the Etihad Stadium. City have responded by bringing in Elliot Anderson for £116m and 18-year-old Ayoub Bouaddi for £86m, among other additions.

Fernandez had been pushing for a Chelsea exit since March despite the London club initially hoping to keep him. He had reportedly targeted Real Madrid as his preferred destination, but the Spanish side eventually ruled out making an offer.

His absence from Chelsea’s recent matches increased uncertainty over his future. Fernandez did not feature in Sunday’s 4-3 Premier League victory against Brighton or the 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Luton three days earlier, amid reports in Argentina that he had requested to be left out.

Chelsea had previously set a 17:00 BST deadline on 14 August for interested clubs to submit offers worth at least £120m.

The agreement continues an extraordinary summer of spending for City. They have also signed Brazilian winger Allan Elias for £34m, Jeremy Monga and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, while a deal worth up to £65m has been agreed for Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye.

For Chelsea, Fernandez’s departure will further boost an already remarkable summer of player sales. Nicolas Jackson has joined Aston Villa for £65m, while Liam Delap moved to Nottingham Forest for £50m.

Chelsea’s summer sales are now expected to generate more than £400m, comfortably surpassing the club’s previous record of around £300m set last season.

The significant squad reduction comes after Chelsea finished 10th last season without winning a trophy and missed out on European competition.