Chelsea will sell Enzo Fernandez on two conditions as Man City prepare new bid

Manchester City are preparing a fresh bid for Enzo Fernandez and hope to sign the Chelsea midfielder before the transfer window closes.

The Argentina international’s future has been a subject of intense speculation all summer long with new City boss Enzo Maresca keen to be reunited with a player he coached during his time at Stamford Bridge.

City’s engine room has undergone a major transformation over the summer with Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders all having departed.

Nico Gonalez, meanwhile, is on the cusp of joining Newcastle while Rico Lewis, who started Sunday’s game against Bournemouth, has appeared surplus to requirements before a spree of exits.

The signings of Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi represent significant additions, but City’s engine room is still in need of reinforcements and Fernandez remains their primary target.

Chelsea initially set a deadline of last Friday for their Premier League rivals to sign the former Benfica star but, according to Fabrizio Romano, they remain open to a sale on two conditions.

The Blues will not budge on their valuation and want at least £120million for the 25-year-old.

Chelsea are also reluctant to sell until they have a replacement lined up but their two top targets, Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi, are not for sale.

The Gunners Spain international has fallen behind Myles Lewis-Skelly in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order but the former Real Sociedad star remains a key part of the Premier League champions’ plans.

‘No, he’s a really important player,’ said Arteta last week when asked if the World Cup winner was up for sale.

‘Without a doubt, he was one of the best players for Arsenal last season.

‘Without him, we would never have got into the position that we got into in the last few weeks.’

Bournemouth, too, are determined to keep hold of Scott who has been the subject of one failed bid already this summer.