Enzo Maresca Prepares for Transfer Window Challenges at Manchester City

Enzo Maresca is braced for a frantic finish to the transfer window – but Manchester City will not be dancing to Chelsea’s tune over Enzo Fernández.

Chelsea set a 5pm Friday deadline for clubs to meet their £120m valuation of the Argentina midfielder. City admire Fernández, and Maresca knows him well from their time together at Stamford Bridge, but that cut-off has come and gone without a bid from the Premier League champions.

Trophy on Sunday, turmoil in the market

Maresca’s first major game in charge comes on Sunday in Cardiff, where City face Arsenal in the Community Shield. It is a showpiece occasion, but the Italian steps into it with a squad still very much under construction.

“Not today to be honest, I don’t think we’re going to do something today,” he said when asked about late moves on Friday. “For sure there are things we need to do, how many I don’t know, can be one can be two depends also if players want to leave so we can see.

“It’s 48 hours for the final, my first final in this club, I would like to win my first trophy, so my focus isn’t on players that can leave or players that can arrive, my focus is on the game.”

City are close to completing a deal for 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, a move that fits the club’s long-term planning even as the senior squad shifts around him.

Rodri wanted, Reijnders on his way

The real turbulence sits in midfield. City have already knocked back two bids from Barcelona for Rodri, and a third offer is expected. The Spain international has a year left on his contract and only returned to the club on Friday after a post-World Cup holiday.

Maresca, though, refused to be drawn into any guarantees.

“The transfer window is open, we can buy players, we can sell players, anything can happen,” he said. “I just saw Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug, he looks good, so we’ll see what happens.”

While City fight to keep one midfielder, another is heading for the exit. Tijjani Reijnders is set to join Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League after the clubs agreed a £51m fee. The Dutchman arrived from Milan last summer but has pushed for more regular minutes than he has been offered.

“They all work every day, they all do sessions every day and at the end of the week they all want to play a game,” Maresca said. “When they don’t play, they struggle to understand or they struggle to see the reason why and I can understand that after one season some of them would like to play a little bit more. It’s a normal situation.”

Fringe faces, hard decisions

The churn will not stop with Reijnders. James Trafford has already left for Leeds, and a cluster of players who hovered on the margins in Pep Guardiola’s final season could follow.

Omar Marmoush, Rico Lewis and Savinho are among those whose futures are under review, with permanent exits all on the table if the right offers arrive.

So Maresca walks into his first final with Arsenal on one side, an open transfer window on the other, and key decisions looming over Rodri and the shape of his midfield. The first trophy of his City reign is there to be claimed in Cardiff – but what will his squad look like by the time the window slams shut?