Manchester City Eyes Fernandez Amid Chelsea's Deadline Dilemma
Manchester City are readying a move for Fernandez despite letting Chelsea’s informal deadline slip earlier in the window, with the midfielder’s future now sitting on a knife-edge in the final days of the market.
Chelsea value Fernandez at around £120 million and have lived with constant noise over a possible exit all summer. Yet Xabi Alonso still expects him to play a part in the here and now.
Alonso plans to use Fernandez
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup tie against Luton Town, Alonso made it clear he is planning with Fernandez in mind, according to The Independent. The midfielder came off the bench in Chelsea’s Premier League opener at Fulham on Monday, and his manager sees no reason to stand him down.
“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, underlining that, for the moment at least, Fernandez remains part of the squad’s core.
His introduction at Craven Cottage brought a notably warm reception from the away end. That response marked a sharp contrast to pre-season at Stamford Bridge, where some supporters had booed him after his controversial role in Argentina’s World Cup semi-final win over England. The mood has shifted. The tension around his future has not.
City circling as deadline looms
Manchester City are expected to return with another bid before the September 1 deadline. They have already tested Chelsea’s resolve and are now weighing up how far to push for a player whose price tag puts him among the most expensive midfielders in the game.
Asked directly whether he wants to keep Fernandez, Alonso didn’t hide his admiration 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.
The message was clear: Chelsea like him, rely on him, but will listen to the market.
Chelsea’s contingency: Alex Scott
Behind the scenes, Chelsea are preparing for the possibility that City’s interest turns into something irresistible. If Fernandez goes, the plan is to move again for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott.
Bournemouth have so far shut the door on any approach, but there is a belief that a bid above £80m – and likely closer to £90m – could force a rethink. For now, that figure remains hypothetical, but it hangs over the final week of the window.
Alonso refused to say whether sanctioning Fernandez’s sale would depend on securing a replacement such as Scott.
“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.”
So Chelsea head into the Luton tie with Fernandez still in blue, City still circling, and the clock ticking towards a decision that could reshape their midfield for years.
