Manchester City are not expected to meet Chelsea’s deadline for a deal involving Enzo Fernández, with City manager Enzo Maresca indicating that no move was imminent before the Blues’ cut-off point.
Multiple outlets reported that Chelsea had set a 5pm deadline for City to match their valuation of Fernández. The reported asking price was £120m, but Maresca’s public position suggested that the situation had not advanced to an agreement. City’s interest has therefore remained a possibility rather than a completed transfer development.
Maresca focuses on squad movement
Maresca did not rule out further business in either direction, but his comments pointed to a club assessing several moving parts rather than concentrating solely on Fernández. He acknowledged that City may yet make additions and that departures could shape their plans.
That context matters. Reports have linked Tijjani Reijnders with a move to Al-Qadsiah, while Barcelona have made approaches for Rodri. City have rejected bids for Rodri, according to the reports, but his contractual situation and the possibility of outgoing transfers leave their midfield picture less settled than it might appear.
Fernández would represent an unusually expensive solution to that uncertainty. Chelsea’s reported valuation makes this more than a standard late-window enquiry: it would require City to decide that a player already familiar with Maresca’s methods is worth a major commitment, even while other sales and potential purchases are unresolved.
The reporting does not suggest that City have met Chelsea’s terms. Instead, it indicates that the deadline was designed to prevent a protracted negotiation from distracting Chelsea or leaving them little time to respond if Fernández departed.
Chelsea’s stance and recent form
Chelsea’s firmness is understandable when viewed alongside their current need for stability. The potential exit of a central midfielder at short notice would create a significant sporting and planning problem. Retaining Fernández unless City meet the club’s valuation is consequently a way of limiting further disruption, particularly if no replacement is already in place.
Bouaddi offers a different City route
City’s reported move for Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi provides an important contrast. According to multiple outlets, the 18-year-old is close to joining City, although the reports did not present that prospective deal as a direct replacement for Fernández.
The two players would address different stages of City’s midfield planning. Fernández is an established international with a substantial reported price tag and experience working under Maresca at Chelsea. Bouaddi is a younger signing whose arrival would be more consistent with building depth and future options than immediately replicating Fernández’s profile.
That distinction helps explain why both names have featured at once. City could pursue Bouaddi as part of a longer-term recruitment strategy while separately considering whether changes involving Rodri, Reijnders or other players require a more immediate, high-profile midfield addition.
For Chelsea, however, Bouaddi’s possible arrival at City does not reduce the significance of Fernández’s situation. Their negotiating position depends on whether City are prepared to pay the stated price, not simply on whether City sign another midfielder.
No agreement indicated
The clearest conclusion from the latest reports is that Chelsea’s deadline has not produced a breakthrough. Maresca’s comments dampened expectations of an immediate bid, while the wider transfer picture at City remains fluid.
There is still room for circumstances to change if City complete sales or alter their midfield priorities. But Chelsea have signalled that they will not allow uncertainty around Fernández to run indefinitely on terms that do not meet their valuation. Protecting continuity has a practical importance alongside the financial one.
For now, the episode highlights two contrasting approaches: Chelsea setting a clear boundary around a key player, and City keeping several options open as they reshape their squad.