Xabi Alonso Refuses to Rule Out Enzo Fernandez Exit as Manchester City Prepare Fresh Bid

Xabi Alonso expects Enzo Fernandez to play for Chelsea in Thursday’s Carabao Cup tie against Luton Town, even as Manchester City prepare a fresh push to sign the midfielder before the transfer window closes. Asked directly whether Fernandez would be involved, Alonso gave a short, confident answer: “Yes, so we expect that he’s involved. He has trained, he’s training really well, he’s a good professional and he will be involved.”

The comment lands amid growing noise around Fernandez’s future. Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca is understood to be keen to bring the Argentine to the Etihad Stadium before the window shuts on September 1, and City are preparing a bid in the region of £120 million, the figure Chelsea have placed on their midfielder.

City Missed an Informal Deadline

Chelsea had set an informal cut-off point earlier in the window for clubs to make their move for Fernandez, and City missed it. That has not stopped Maresca’s interest, and with the deadline now days away, City are working to formalise an offer before time runs out.

City’s pursuit is tied to a wider midfield rebuild at the Etihad Stadium following Rodri’s £65.4 million move to Barcelona and Tijjani Reijnders’ confirmed £52 million departure to Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah after only a single season. Maresca has already brought in Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a deal worth up to £100 million and paid a club-record £116 million for Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, yet he has openly admitted the pressure to find a “new Rodri” remains, which explains the club’s willingness to test Chelsea’s resolve on Fernandez even at this late stage.

Fernandez, valued at £120 million, has been strongly linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge throughout the summer. He has made no secret of his interest in a move away from the club, according to reports in England, but he has continued to train with the first team as normal throughout the speculation.

That professionalism was on show at Craven Cottage on Monday, where Chelsea beat Fulham 3-2 to give Alonso a winning start to his Premier League coaching career. Joao Pedro opened the scoring inside a minute, Josh King equalised for the hosts, and Morgan Rogers marked his debut following his record move from Aston Villa with the goal that put Chelsea back in front before half-time. Fernandez came off the bench in the second half and received a warm reception from the travelling support.

That reaction marked a contrast with what he experienced in a pre-season friendly at Stamford Bridge, when he was booed by a section of Chelsea’s own fans following his role in Argentina’s World Cup semi-final win over England. Fernandez had scored Argentina’s equaliser late in that game before running to celebrate in front of the England supporters, a moment that went down badly with some of his own club’s fanbase back home, regardless of his country going on to reach the final.

Alonso Refuses to Commit Either Way

Pressed on whether he personally wants to keep Fernandez beyond deadline day, Alonso stopped short of giving Chelsea supporters the reassurance they might have wanted. “We want to have the best team possible. We know his qualities. He has shown it and we have to wait, but we will think about tomorrow and let’s see how things develop,” he said.

It is a measured answer from a manager only weeks into the job, and one that leaves the door open for Chelsea to sanction a sale if the numbers work in the club’s favour. Alonso was equally guarded when asked whether any potential sale of Fernandez would be contingent on Chelsea first securing a replacement, declining to set out a fixed policy.

“It is always about understanding the context, the situation, timings, circumstances, so there is not a defined rule for everything,” Alonso explained. “You need to know how things have worked, what you want, what you want for the future, so I don’t have the rules in stone. We need to assess each situation.”

Bournemouth’s Alex Scott Lined Up as Cover

Behind the scenes, Chelsea are already planning for the possibility that Fernandez leaves before the deadline. Should the Argentine depart, the club is prepared to return to Bournemouth with an improved offer for midfielder Alex Scott, having seen previous interest rebuffed.

Bournemouth have so far shut down any approach for Scott, but there is a belief within Chelsea that a bid in excess of £80 million, and probably closer to £90 million, could persuade the south coast club to reconsider. Alonso would not be drawn on the specifics of a potential Scott deal, keeping his focus firmly on Thursday’s Carabao Cup fixture.

For now, Chelsea’s attention is on Luton at Stamford Bridge, with Fernandez expected to feature regardless of the transfer talk swirling around him. What happens next rests largely on Manchester City’s ability to put together an offer Chelsea are willing to accept before next week’s deadline arrives.

A Carabao Cup second-round tie against a League One side is a low-key stage for such a high-value transfer saga to play out in public, but it is exactly the kind of fixture where a club can afford to rest first-choice players without risk. Alonso’s decision to involve Fernandez regardless suggests he sees value in keeping the midfielder sharp and visibly committed, rather than parking him on the sidelines while his future is decided elsewhere.

A Familiar Test for a New Manager

Managing a player who wants to leave while still needing him on the pitch is one of the oldest challenges in football, and Alonso is dealing with it just weeks into his Chelsea tenure. His answers this week suggest a coach who intends to keep using Fernandez for as long as he remains a Chelsea player, without making any promises about how long that will be.

Fernandez himself has given no indication that the uncertainty is affecting his application in training or matches. Chelsea’s hierarchy will make the final call on his future, but Alonso’s approach for now is simple: play him, assess the situation day by day, and let the business side of the game run its course before the deadline forces a decision.

A Squad Still Taking Shape

Alonso’s first competitive selection at Fulham hinted at how much of Chelsea’s squad has already turned over this summer. Rogers arrived from Aston Villa in a club-record deal and scored on his first appearance, while Joao Pedro’s early goal underlined the goal threat Alonso now has available across his front line. Marco Palestra and Moises Caicedo were both absent from the matchday squad against Fulham, and Alonso has already had to manage a rotating cast of new arrivals alongside the players who remain from before his appointment.

Fernandez’s situation sits apart from the incomings: he is the one high-value asset Chelsea could still sell before the deadline rather than add. His performances from the moment he returned from international duty with Argentina have been solid rather than spectacular, but Alonso has consistently praised his attitude in training, a point he repeated again this week when asked directly about the player’s state of mind amid the Manchester City links.

Two Managers, Two Different Pressures

Maresca’s need for a midfielder looks more urgent than Chelsea’s need to sell one. City lost Rodri to Barcelona for £65.4 million and have also lost Reijnders to Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia after only a single season at the club, leaving a gap in the middle of the pitch that the club’s other summer signings have not fully closed. Bouaddi is 18 and still adapting to English football, which strengthens the argument inside the club that a proven Premier League and World Cup performer such as Fernandez would settle in faster than another teenage prospect.

Alonso, by contrast, is managing a squad that has already turned over significantly this summer and does not need to sell Fernandez to balance the books. Chelsea’s willingness to engage with City’s interest at all suggests the £120 million valuation is one the club would accept if the numbers work, rather than a figure designed purely to discourage a move. That distinction, between a club open to business and a club desperate to sell, will likely determine how the final week of the window plays out.

Whatever happens before the deadline, Thursday night at Stamford Bridge offers a small, low-pressure snapshot of where things stand. Fernandez will pull on a Chelsea shirt again, Alonso will get a look at a player whose Chelsea career could end within days, and Manchester City will be watching from a distance, waiting to see whether their patience over the summer finally pays off in the campaign’s final week of trading.

Chelsea supporters will have their own view on what should happen next, split between those keen to bank a record fee for a player who has made his desire to leave clear and those who would rather keep a World Cup finalist in the middle of the park. Alonso, for his part, has given nothing away beyond a promise to keep picking Fernandez while he remains available, leaving the bigger decision to the executives negotiating above him.