Argentina’s Enzo Set to Join Man City from Chelsea in Record-Breaking Transfer

Manchester City have signed midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea on the final day of the European transfer window, bringing the 25-year-old Argentine to their club for a joint-record British transfer fee.

Fernandes, who was part of the Argentina team that reached the 2026 World Cup final, had long been rumoured to be leaving Stamford Bridge, but the deal was completed just minutes before the 10pm (GMT) deadline on Tuesday, the final day of the summer transfer window.

City confirmed the deal in a video message on social media ‘X’. The deal is worth 125 million pounds ($169 million), which is the same as the record fee Liverpool paid for Alexander Isaac from Newcastle last summer.

An agreement was reached between the two clubs just hours before the window closed, allowing the player to complete a medical. However, as time passed, there were concerns about whether the deal would go through.

Fernandes sent a farewell message to Chelsea fans on his Instagram page on Tuesday, before the transfer formalities were completed.

Fernandez wrote to the fans of the London club, “I want you to know that these days have not been easy for me. It is not easy to write this message. To be honest, I have not been in a good state.”

He added, “Three years ago Cobham (the club’s training ground) and Stamford Bridge became home for me and my family. Believe me, from the first moment we arrived here, we were obsessed with winning titles and bringing home every trophy this club deserves in its history. We suffered, we cried, we were angry many times, but at the same time we had happy trophy celebrations and unforgettable victories – the good and the difficult, always together.”

Fernandes was a key member of Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League and later FIFA Club World Cup winning team in 2025.

City boss Enzo Maresca, who had experience working with Fernandes at Chelsea before taking on the daunting task of replacing Pep Guardiola at the Etihad, was the Italian coach who was most keen to bring Fernandes into the team after the departure of influential World Cup winner Rodri, who was recently sold to Barcelona, ​​and midfielders such as Bernardo Silva, Nico Gonzalez and Tijani Reynders.

The 25-year-old will now join English star Elliot Anderson and Moroccan Ayoub Bouadi in City’s revamped central midfield, which has cost the club more than £300 million ($405.4 million).

“Every player wants to be part of a club like this because everyone knows how well-organised City are. This is a club built for success. Just looking at the squad, you can see that they have exceptional quality in every position. I’m looking forward to learning from my new team-mates and improving my football,” Fernandes said in a statement released by City after the deal was completed.

Fernandes joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 for £106 million ($143.2 million). He angered Chelsea fans last season by expressing his interest in joining Real Madrid, which led to him being left out of the team for two matches.

Fernandez scored two goals in Argentina’s run to the 2026 World Cup final, including a spectacular strike against England in the semi-final. However, he was sent off in the final match after being sent off, and Argentina lost 1-0 to retain their World Cup crown.

City’s director of football, Hugo Viana, said: “He is a complete midfielder: technically gifted, hard-working, relentless and capable of scoring goals. His experience of playing in two World Cup finals and winning major trophies in multiple countries at the age of just 25 is testament to his mentality, professionalism and footballing quality. We are thrilled to bring him here and we firmly believe he will strengthen our team.”