City circle Enzo Fernandez as Rodri's exit draws nearer
The sound of a door closing at one end of the pitch often means another one creaking open at the other. With Rodri's future at Manchester City having been the subject of speculation all summer, the last few days have seen the rumours shift from background noise to something approaching a chorus.
Fabrizio Romano, among others, has the Spaniard choosing Barcelona, with only a fee between him and the exit. City, meanwhile, appear to be preparing for life after their midfield anchor by looking at a very different kind of operator.
Enzo Fernandez is the name on the list. The links between the Blues and the Argentine are nothing new, but Miguel Delaney's piece for the Independent today adds some meat to the bones of a potential deal.
The crucial detail: Chelsea value Fernandez at £120m. That is the asking price, the figure that would need to be met for talks to even begin in earnest.
“They paid £106m for him in January 2023, and he's since produced a lot of goals and assists despite playing in some imperfect teams.”
That outlay, and that output, goes some way to explaining why Chelsea feel they can command such a premium. Whether City are willing to match it is another matter entirely. The fact list notes it's far from clear how much City are prepared to pay.
Fernandez's own position has been clear since the spring. He made his desire to leave Chelsea known back then, with Real Madrid his preferred destination. When Los Blancos made it clear they had no interest, it looked like he might be left high and dry at Stamford Bridge.
City, then, could offer an unexpected escape route. But there are plenty of obstacles before this gets anywhere close to a done deal.
The midfielder is expected back at Chelsea training next week. If he doesn't show up, things could be about to get very interesting indeed.