Arsenal Eyes Enzo Fernandez Amid Transfer Battle
Arsenal have stepped into one of the summer’s biggest transfer battles, joining Manchester City and Real Madrid in the chase for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez – but he is not at the top of Mikel Arteta’s wishlist.
Chelsea shattered the British transfer record in February 2023 to prise Fernandez from Benfica for £107million. The fee has since been overtaken by deals for Moises Caicedo, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, yet the Argentine’s price tag still hangs over him every time he pulls on a Chelsea shirt.
He did not settle instantly at Stamford Bridge. The early months were scrappy, disjointed, overshadowed by the chaos around him. Then his influence grew. In a season where Chelsea slumped to 10th in the Premier League and lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City, Fernandez quietly put together an outstanding individual campaign: 15 goals and seven assists across 54 appearances, driving from midfield while the team around him lurched from promise to disappointment.
Now he wants out.
The 25-year-old is pushing to leave this summer, unwilling to wait any longer for Chelsea to become credible contenders for the Premier League and Champions League. The departure of head coach Enzo Maresca, with whom he had built a strong relationship, has only hardened his stance. According to reports, Fernandez has already instructed his agent to open lines of communication with interested clubs.
Chelsea’s new manager Xabi Alonso, however, has a very different view. He sees Fernandez as central to any future revival and wants to build around him. The club, for their part, are determined not to take a major loss on their investment and have set an asking price of around €120m (£104m), only slightly below what they originally paid.
That has not scared off Europe’s elite. CaughtOffside report that Arsenal have “joined the race”, keeping a close eye on developments and weighing up a move that would send shockwaves across London. But for Arteta, Fernandez is not the main prize.
Tonali tops Arteta’s list
Inside Arsenal’s recruitment meetings, another name sits above Fernandez on the midfield board: Sandro Tonali.
The Newcastle United midfielder is understood to be Arteta’s priority target in the middle of the park. Arsenal first made contact with Tonali’s representatives in January and have continued to monitor his situation. The Italian is open to a move, with both Arsenal and Manchester United credited with strong interest, and Newcastle are braced for offers in the region of €100m (£87m).
So Arsenal’s stance is clear. Tonali first. Fernandez, potentially, if the market breaks in their favour.
The dynamic changes when Real Madrid and Manchester City enter the frame. Spanish reports this week suggested Fernandez would prefer a move to Madrid over City, even after Pep Guardiola’s side beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final and remain the benchmark in English football.
Fernandez has already flirted with the idea of life in Spain. During the March international break he spoke openly about his desire to live in Madrid, likening the Spanish capital to Buenos Aires. It did not go unnoticed at the Bernabeu.
Inside Madrid, there is alignment. Jose Mourinho and club president Florentino Perez agree that an elite midfielder is needed to refresh a side that has relied heavily on its engine room for the best part of a decade. With City refusing to entertain any notion of selling Rodri, attention could easily swing to Fernandez, whose blend of aggression, passing range and goal threat fits the profile of a long-term cornerstone.
City lurking, but not leading
City’s position in all this is more nuanced. On Wednesday, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano underlined that Maresca – now in charge at Chelsea – “loves” Fernandez, but moved to cool talk of City being deep in negotiations for the player.
City’s recruitment department remains focused elsewhere. Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is currently their primary midfield target. Only if that pursuit collapses would Fernandez become a realistic alternative. For now, they are watching rather than driving the saga.
That leaves a curious landscape. Chelsea want to keep their man but have named their price. Fernandez wants a club competing at the very top, and has already nudged his agent into action. Real Madrid sit in pole position in his mind, City hover in the background, and Arsenal – while admirers – are channelling most of their energy into Tonali.
For a player who forced his way from River Plate to Benfica to a record-breaking move to Chelsea in barely two years, another major leap feels inevitable. The only question is whose midfield he will be commanding when the new season kicks off.
