Manchester City Sign Enzo Fernandez in Record £125m Deal

Manchester City have signed Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea in a reported £125 million deal that equals the British transfer record. The Argentine international’s move was confirmed on Tuesday, with the reported fee matching the amount Liverpool paid Newcastle for Swedish striker Alexander Isak last year.

Fernandez joins a City midfield that has undergone major change following the sale of Rodri to Barcelona and the departures of Bernardo Silva, Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders. The 25-year-old is set to partner England international Elliot Anderson and Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi as City rebuild their central options.

The transfer is significant both for its scale and for the role Fernandez is expected to play in the new-look side. City have spent more than £300 million on their revamped midfield, while head coach Enzo Maresca has added a player he previously worked with at Chelsea.

Record fee brings Fernandez to Manchester City

City’s reported £125 million outlay puts the Fernandez deal level with the British transfer record. The midfielder had joined Chelsea from Benfica for £106 million in 2023 before completing his latest move to the Etihad Stadium.

Fernandez said City’s reputation and the quality within the squad were central to his decision. “Every player wants to be part of a club like this because everyone knows how well-run City are,” he said in a City statement.

“This is a club built for success. If you look across the squad, City have quality in every area. I want to learn from my new teammates and become a better player.”

Maresca was described as a driving force behind the agreement. His previous work with Fernandez at Chelsea provided a connection as City moved to fill the gaps created by their midfield departures.

Fernandez’s Chelsea exit followed a period of speculation over his future. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso had omitted him from the squad for the club’s previous two games as talk of a switch to City intensified. In a lengthy farewell post on Instagram, Fernandez described the decision to leave as difficult.

“I want you to know that these have not been easy days for me. Writing this is not easy either. The truth is, I haven’t been in a good place,” Fernandez said. “Life is about making decisions, and right now I find myself having to make one of those difficult decisions.”

A reshaped midfield and a new challenge

Fernandez arrives after winning the UEFA Conference League and the Club World Cup during his time at Chelsea. However, his relationship with Chelsea supporters had been affected by what they perceived as his wish to leave Stamford Bridge.

He had also been dropped for two matches last season after expressing an interest in joining Real Madrid, according to the report. His move to City now gives him a new role at a club seeking to reshape its midfield after a number of high-profile exits.

City director of football Hugo Viana said the club believe Fernandez will strengthen the team. “He is a complete midfielder: technically gifted, hardworking, tenacious and a goalscorer,” Viana said.

“To have played in two World Cup finals and won major trophies in multiple countries at just 25 says everything you need to know about his mentality, professionalism and technical quality. We are delighted to bring him here and feel very strongly he will improve our team.”

For City, the deal brings an established international midfielder into a newly assembled unit alongside Anderson and Bouaddi. For Fernandez, it ends his Chelsea spell and begins a new chapter at the Etihad in a transfer that has matched the biggest fee paid for a player in British football.