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Chelsea are set to keep Enzo Fernandez after Manchester City and Real Madrid failed to submit bids before the club’s 5pm Friday deadline for the Argentina midfielder.
Chelsea had set the deadline of 5pm BST on August 14 for interested clubs to make formal offers for the 25-year-old, amid growing speculation over his future at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester City and Real Madrid were both reported to be interested in Enzo Fernandez, but neither club submitted an offer before the deadline, leaving Chelsea in a strong position to retain the midfielder for the new campaign.
The Blues had placed a £120m valuation on Enzo, with the asking price also subject to specific payment terms that were communicated to potential buyers.
Chelsea are also understood to have ruled out the possibility of selling the midfielder in January, further strengthening the expectation that he will remain at the club throughout the season.
Enzo joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 for a British-record fee of £106.8m and has since established himself as an important part of the team. He made 36 Premier League appearances last season, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists.
Manchester City had identified midfield reinforcement as a priority under former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and have already spent heavily in that area, including a British-record £116m deal for Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
City are also in talks with Lille over 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, with the potential fee reportedly reaching £100m, but their failure to make a move for Enzo Fernandez before Chelsea’s deadline means the Argentine is now expected to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Fernandez was also a regular for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup but ended the tournament on a sour note after receiving a second yellow card in the final against Spain, which Argentina lost 1-0.
