Chelsea has established a deadline of 5pm (BST) on Friday for clubs to submit an official bid of £120m for midfielder Enzo Fernández. The club’s stance is that if this valuation is not met by the deadline, the 25-year-old will remain with them. This comes as Manchester City recently rejected a second offer from Barcelona for their midfielder Rodri.
Barcelona‘s improved bid for Rodri was around €60m (£51m), following an initial offer of €45m. Reports indicate that Manchester City is seeking between £60m and £65m for the player. Rodri, who captained Spain to a World Cup victory, has expressed a preference to join Barcelona. He is also in the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and is reportedly keen to return to Spain after seven years in Manchester.
Transfer market movements
With Rodri potentially moving to Camp Nou, Manchester City has identified Enzo Fernández as a possible replacement in Enzo Maresca’s squad. Fernández, a World Cup winner at Qatar 2022 and Chelsea‘s captain, is seen as a player who could bring seniority and leadership to City.
To help finance potential transfers, Manchester City may sell Tijjani Reijnders to Al-Qadsiah. Discussions are reportedly advanced for a package valued at approximately €60m for the Dutch player, who joined City last summer.
Meanwhile, Jérémy Doku has signed a contract extension with Manchester City, committing him to the club until 2031. The winger expressed excitement about the new season under Enzo Maresca, noting that the manager’s style of football is appealing to the players. Doku also highlighted the support from City fans as a significant factor in his decision to extend his contract.
Other transfer activities include Barcelona‘s ongoing talks with Manchester City for Rodri, with an increased bid of £51.4m for the midfielder. Cristian Romero is reportedly interested in joining Arsenal, though Tottenham has no intention of allowing the Argentina centre-back to move to their rivals. Romero is also an option for Barcelona, who are reportedly preparing to loan out Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo to Liverpool.
Further player movements
Nottingham Forest is reportedly set to acquire Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34m. Spain forward Ferran Torres has informed Barcelona of his desire to join Paris St-Germain, having reportedly agreed to personal terms with the European champions.
Everton and Crystal Palace have engaged in discussions regarding a potential swap deal involving English winger Dwight McNeil and Palace‘s Wales winger Brennan Johnson. Tottenham has also held advanced talks with Manchester City concerning the signing of Brazil winger Savinho, with a package around £60m believed to be sufficient to finalise a deal.
Aston Villa is nearing a full agreement to sign Italian left-back Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid. Southampton‘s Shea Charles could still move to Leeds if their offer surpasses Fulham‘s current £30m bid for the Northern Ireland midfielder. Niclas Fullkrug has agreed terms with Venezia, but the move has been blocked due to West Ham‘s asking price for the Germany striker. Additionally, West Ham has reached an agreement in principle to sign Israel winger Manor Solomon from Tottenham. Fenerbahce is set to finalise a deal to sign Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku from Napoli, which would result in a sell-on fee owed to Chelsea.
Rodri underwent minor back surgery following the conclusion of the World Cup, making him a doubt for the start of the new season. Manchester City manager Maresca is hopeful that Rodri will complete his contract and be available for the upcoming season.
Source: theguardian.com