Fernandez transfers to Man City from Chelsea in joint British record fee

Argentina planetary Enzo Fernandez signs for Manchester City successful a woody from Chelsea worthy 125 cardinal pounds ($169m).

Manchester City equalled the British transportation interest grounds for a subordinate erstwhile they signed midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea connected deadline time for deals successful Europe.

The 25-year-old Argentina international, who was portion of his country’s squad that reached the 2026 World Cup final, had agelong been linked with a determination distant from Stamford Bridge.

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The deal, however, was stretched to the last fewer minutes of the summertime transportation window, which unopen astatine 22:00 GMT connected Tuesday.

City confirmed the woody with a video connected the societal media level X, with the interest matching the 125 cardinal pounds ($169m) that Liverpool paid Newcastle for Alexander Isak past summer.

The woody seemed to person been agreed upon betwixt the clubs hours earlier the model shut, allowing for the subordinate to implicit a medical, but doubts astir the woody started to look with the timepiece ticking connected the deadline.

Fernandez himself had taken to his Instagram leafage up of the deadline connected Tuesday to bid farewell to Chelsea fans.

“I privation you to cognize that these person not been casual days for me. Writing this is not casual either. The information is, I haven’t been successful a bully place,” Fernandez wrote successful a connection directed to fans of the London club.

“Three years ago, Cobham [the club’s grooming ground] and Stamford Bridge became location for maine and my family.

“Believe maine erstwhile I accidental that, from the infinitesimal I arrived, I became obsessed with winning and with bringing this nine each trophy that its past deserves.

“We suffered, we cried, I got aggravated galore times, but we besides celebrated titles and unforgettable victories. Together, done the bully times and the hard ones.”

Fernandez was portion of the Chelsea broadside that won the UEFA Conference League successful 2025 earlier going connected to assertion the expanded FIFA Club World Cup that year.

City brag Enzo Maresca worked with Fernandez astatine Chelsea earlier taking connected the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola astatine the Etihad.

The Italian was a driving unit down the woody to onshore Fernandez aft the caller merchantability of influential World Cup victor Rodri to Barcelona, arsenic good arsenic the departures of chap midfielders Bernardo Silva, Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders.

The 25-year-old volition spouse with England planetary Elliot Anderson and Moroccan Ayyoub Bouaddi successful City’s revamped cardinal midfield astatine a outgo of much than 300 cardinal pounds ($405.4m).

“Every subordinate wants to beryllium portion of a nine similar this, due to the fact that everyone knows however well-run City are,” said Fernandez successful his connection released by City upon completion of the deal.

“This is simply a nine built for success. If you look crossed the squad, City person prime successful each area. I privation to larn from my caller teammates and go a amended player.”

Fernandez, who signed for Chelsea from Benfica for 106 cardinal pounds ($143.2m) successful 2023, angered the Blues past play by expressing involvement successful joining Real Madrid, and was dropped for 2 matches arsenic a result.

He scored doubly successful Argentina’s tally to the World Cup final, including a stunning onslaught against England successful the semifinal.

But his tourney ended with a reddish paper successful the last arsenic Argentina were beaten 1-0 to miss retired connected retaining their presumption arsenic satellite champions.

“He is simply a implicit midfielder: technically gifted, hardworking, tenacious, and a goalscorer,” said City’s manager of shot Hugo Viana.

“To person played successful 2 World Cup finals and won large trophies successful aggregate countries astatine conscionable 25 says everything you request to cognize astir his mentality, professionalism and method quality.

“We are delighted to bring him here, and consciousness precise powerfully helium volition amended our team.”