Manchester City agree £125m fee with Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez

Manchester City have agreed a £125m fee with Chelsea for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, a sum that puts him level with the British transfer record previously set when Liverpool signed Alexander Isak last summer.

The fee mirrors the record fee that Chelsea paid for Fernandez in January 2023, when they signed him from Benfica for a then‑club‑record £107m. In his 170 appearances for the Blues, the 25‑year‑old found the net 31 times before falling out of favour and sitting out the club’s last two matches, including the 3‑2 win over Fulham that may have been his final appearance for Chelsea.

Chelsea had imposed a 5pm deadline on 14 August for any bids, but City did not submit an offer at that stage. The deal was instead concluded on the final day of the transfer window, after Chelsea also pursued replacements such as Manu Kone of Roma and Lamine Camara of Monaco. City’s own midfield recruitment continues, with an initial £60m bid for Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye also on the table.

The Enzo Fernandez move adds to a busy summer for City, who already broke their own record with a £116m signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest and have secured Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for £85m. Including the Fernandez fee, the club’s summer outlay is projected to reach around £430m, reflecting a broader strategy to reinforce the midfield ahead of the new season. Man City confident Enzo Fernandez will join from Chelsea