Man City Agree British Record-Equalling £125m Deal for Enzo Fernandez

Manchester City have agreed a British transfer record-equalling £125 million deal with Chelsea for midfielder Enzo Fernandez, with the Argentina international given permission to undergo a medical on deadline day.

The fee matches the £125m Liverpool paid Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer and sees Chelsea turn a profit of around £18m on a player they signed from Benfica for £107m in early 2023, then a British record fee in its own right. Fernandez becomes the first footballer in history to be involved in two transfers exceeding £100 million, and only the third player in Premier League history to break the British transfer record twice, following Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand.

The move reunites the 25-year-old with Enzo Maresca, his former Chelsea manager now in charge at the Etihad. Fernandez had made his desire to leave clear for months, and Chelsea had set an August 14 deadline for offers before City accelerated talks in the final 48 hours, ultimately paying £5m over Chelsea's £120m asking price. He was booed by Chelsea supporters in pre-season and left out of their recent Carabao Cup and Premier League squads before this move materialised.

City's midfield outlay this summer now includes Elliot Anderson (£116m) and Ayyoub Bouaddi (£95m), giving Pep Guardiola one of the most expensively assembled midfields in football history heading into the new season.