Manchester City Pursue Fernandez Amid Chelsea's Plans
Manchester City are readying a fresh move for Fernandez, undeterred by an informal deadline they have already sailed past – and by Chelsea’s public insistence that, for now, he remains part of their plans.
The midfielder, valued at around £120 million, has been at the centre of one of the window’s longest-running sagas, his future at Stamford Bridge questioned all summer. City are expected to test Chelsea’s resolve again before the September 1 deadline.
Alonso plans to use Fernandez – for now
Despite the noise, Xabi Alonso is preparing as if Fernandez will still be his player on Thursday night. Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup tie against Luton Town, Alonso told The Independent he fully expects the 27-year-old to be involved.
“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,” Alonso said, making it clear that, until anything changes, Fernandez is in his matchday thinking.
The midfielder came off the bench in Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Fulham on Monday, his first competitive minutes of the season. He was greeted with warm applause from the away end at Craven Cottage – a sharp contrast to the boos he heard at Stamford Bridge in pre-season, when some fans turned on him over his controversial role in Argentina's World Cup semi-final win against England.
That reception suggested a mood shift. Chelsea supporters may not have forgotten, but many seemed ready to move on, at least while he wears their shirt.
City circling as Chelsea weigh their options
Asked directly if he wanted to keep Fernandez, Alonso did not disguise the player’s importance but stopped short of any guarantees.
“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.
That last line matters. Chelsea know City are unlikely to walk away easily. A renewed offer is expected before the window shuts, and the size of that bid will dictate how hard the London club fight to keep him.
Behind the scenes, contingency plans are already in motion. If Fernandez goes, Chelsea are prepared to turn back to Bournemouth and revive their interest in Alex Scott. Bournemouth have resisted every approach so far, but there is a belief that a bid above £80m – and probably closer to £90m – could force a rethink on the south coast.
Alonso, though, refused to be drawn on whether any Fernandez sale would hinge on landing a replacement first.
“It is always about understanding the context, the situation, timings, circumstances, so there is not a defined rule for everything,” he said. “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.”
For Chelsea, that assessment is now on a countdown clock. For City, the question is simple: how high are they willing to go to prise Fernandez out of Stamford Bridge before the window slams shut?
