Chelsea are setting their sights on European midfield targets as they prepare for talks to finalise Enzo Fernandez’s move to Manchester City.
There is a belief among all parties that Fernandez, who wants to work under former boss Enzo Maresca at the Etihad, will move to City even if there have been no formal club-to-club talks yet.
Chelsea want to make a profit on Fernandez, who they signed for £107m, but City do not want to go to the £120m asking price that was communicated to the market earlier this month when the Blues set a performative 14 August deadline for bids.
Sources have indicated an accommodation is likely to be found and Fernandez being left out of Chelsea’s side to face Luton Town on Thursday suggests an end game is approaching on one of the transfer window’s most long-running sagas.
Enzo Fernandez is expected to leave before the transfer window closes (Photo: Getty)But where Chelsea go next is unclear with top target Alex Scott deemed “untouchable” by Bournemouth, who have maintained since the start of the summer transfer window that they will not be selling the England midfielder. That stance was re-affirmed to The i Paper this week, with the Cherries adamant he remains “not for sale”.
Chelsea are the only club to test that resolve – submitting three bids in quick succession after Scott broke off talks over a new deal – but were given no encouragement to return to the table.
Insiders believe his camp have been “naive” in trying to shop Scott around, but have not ruled out returning to contract talks after the end of the transfer window.
Adam Wharton is the other domestic target admired by BlueCo, Chelsea’s ownership group, but Crystal Palace will not sell at this stage of the transfer window.
That leaves Chelsea considering options in Europe, with Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Roma’s Manu Kone among the frontrunners to fill the void left by Fernandez.
Camara – a one-time target for Newcastle United – is viewed as a real talent but is not quite at Fernandez’s level. Monaco value him close to the £50m mark, having rejected a bid of close to £40m from Crystal Palace last week.
The other option is to wait for better market opportunities, with the likes of Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga possibly becoming available in January or next summer.
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Although the ferocity of their player trading continues, there are signs of Chelsea thinking about the balance of their squad under Xabi Alonso, who has had more influence than his predecessors over recruitment.
A £7.5m move for Emiliano Martinez, who is 34 next week but instantly improves their goalkeeping options, comes after they signed Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson to add experience to a youthful squad.
None have re-sale value but the way stars like Liam Delap and Fernandez have been able to either appreciate or retain their value has given them headroom to bring in more experienced players.
That trend could continue in future windows, with Chelsea seemingly now happy to blend a trigger-happy recruitment policy that sees them hothouse some of Europe’s brightest talent at sister club Strasbourg with brokering deals for players who can help them develop into a more competitive force in the Premier League.
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