Deadline passed, but the phone hasn't stopped ringing
Friday's 5pm cutoff came and went without Manchester City submitting a formal bid for Enzo Fernandez. Yet according to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are refusing to hang up.
City, we're told, are still making calls to see if there is any way of reviving a move that looked all but done earlier in the summer. The £120m asking price stood until that deadline, a figure reportedly agreed verbally between all parties back in May. With that window now shut, any fresh approach requires actual negotiation — and Chelsea, as you might expect, hold every card.
"Man City are still calling. Man City are still trying to understand if there is a way."
Romano stops short of declaring the deal dead. As of today, he wouldn't call it off. That's about as close to optimism as this saga has offered in weeks.
Waiting on Rodri
The reason no bid landed before Chelsea's deadline is fairly straightforward. It is felt within the club that Rodri's move to Barcelona needs to be completed before any offer is submitted for the Argentine. One in, one out — the policy reportedly governing midfield recruitment under Enzo Maresca's side.
Tijjani Reijnders' departure for Al Qadsiah is expected to open the door for Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi. That's the incoming side of the ledger sorted, more or less. The Fernandez question sits on the other side, waiting for Rodri's exit to formally unlock it.
Sources close to Stamford Bridge, meanwhile, reckon the Argentinian will stay put. They may well be right. But if City table a proposal before September 1st that matches the original asking price, Chelsea will have a genuine decision to make.
Whether that happens depends on how quickly the Rodri deal gets over the line. City are still calling. They're just not quite ready to commit.