Arsenal have decided to compete with Manchester City and Real Madrid for Chelsea superstar Enzo Fernandez, though he is not Mikel Arteta’s ‘priority’ midfield target, as per a report.
Chelsea smashed the British transfer record in February 2023 when they paid Benfica a huge £107million for Fernandez, a deal which has since been surpassed by the likes of Moises Caicedo, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. Fernandez had a tricky start to life at Stamford Bridge but has since developed into one of Chelsea’s most important players.
While Chelsea endured a hugely disappointing campaign, dropping down to 10th in the Premier League and losing the FA Cup final to Manchester City, Fernandez had a great season on a personal level, putting up 15 goals and seven assists in 54 matches.
The Argentine is looking to leave Chelsea this summer as he does not want to wait any longer for them to compete for Premier League and Champions League titles. He was also saddened by the departure of head coach Enzo Maresca, as he had a great relationship with the Italian.
According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal have ‘joined the race’ for the midfielder.
New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso wants to keep Fernandez, seeing him as a key player for future success, but the 25-year-old has already told his agent to contact interested clubs.
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Arsenal are ‘monitoring the situation’ and could launch a shock raid on their London rivals. Interestingly, though, the report names Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali as Arteta’s ‘priority’ midfield target.
The Gunners made contact with Tonali’s agents in January and are continuing to track his situation. The Italian is known to be keen on leaving Newcastle amid interest from Arsenal and Manchester United, and he will cost €100m (£87m).
Returning to Fernandez, it is important to note that Madrid or City are more likely to sign him this summer.
The Spanish press reported on Thursday that he would prefer to join Madrid ahead of City.
Enzo Fernandez has already discussed Chelsea exit
Fernandez made headlines during the international break in March when he admitted he would like to live in Madrid, comparing it to Buenos Aires.
Jose Mourinho and Florentino Perez are in agreement that Madrid need to sign an elite new midfielder. With City holding firm over Rodri, Madrid could turn their attention to Fernandez instead.
Chelsea do not want to take a big financial hit on Fernandez and have set his price tag at €120m (£104m), just under what they originally paid for him.
On Wednesday, Fabrizio Romano confirmed Maresca ‘loves’ Fernandez but cooled speculation that City are already in talks over his signing.
Romano stated that Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson remains the top target for City. If they miss out on Anderson, then Fernandez could emerge as an alternative target.
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