According to reports, Chelsea are at risk of losing World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez as Real Madrid are ‘going all out’ for the centre-midfielder.
The Blues invested around £107m to sign Fernandez from Portuguese giants Benfica as they fended off competition from Liverpool to sign the midfielder after he helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup.
24-year-old Fernandez has made 87 appearances for Chelsea over the past couple of seasons as he’s struggled to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge.
In November 2023, former Chelsea defender William Gallas explained why Fernadez is “not suited to the Premier League”.
“Enzo Fernandez is different. Even if he’s got good quality, we know the Premier League is very tough,” Gallas said.
“The Premier League is not for everybody, we know that. We know it’s not for everybody. He has to lift his fitness. He has to do more; he has to run more. He has to be more consistent as well.
“That’s why the position he plays is so difficult. What do we ask him to do? To give some assists, to score goals, to play almost as a box-to-box.
“Can he do this? I don’t know if he can really play box-to-box. He needs to either start scoring goals or providing assists.”
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Despite this, Fernandez has been linked with several European giants in recent months and Real Madrid are reportedly plotting a move for the Chelsea star.
A report in Spain claims Real Madrid are ‘going all out’ as they are ready to offer a ‘direct exchange’, which would see Aurelien Tchouameni move in the other direction without the inclusion of a fee.
The France international has consistently been linked with Premier League clubs in recent seasons and the report claims he’s had a ‘disagreement’ with manager Carlo Ancelotti with ‘key hours coming in the transfer market’.
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The potential exit of Fernandez could free up funds for a striker signing, but Emmanuel Petit has warned Chelsea against targeting the 2024 top scorer in Europe, Viktor Gyokeres.
“Why do Chelsea need to sign a new striker? What for? Explain to me because last season Nicolas Jackson scored 14 Premier League goals in his first season and he’s got nine already this season. I think he’s doing well,” Petit said.
“He had a really decent season last season, honestly. Remember the situation of Chelsea last season. It was not easy for the players to handle the situation. With Maresca in the driving seat, his management has been ruthless.
“There is a lot of pressure at Chelsea, the players are young, they are learning. They come from different countries with different mentalities, step by step they are improving. Chelsea don’t need to go out and sign another striker, they should have confidence in Jackson.
“If they win something, like the Conference league for example, if they do something until the end of the season in the Premier League, that will improve their confidence. If more players can improve their quality on the pitch, that will be very good for Jackson as well.
“The left back, Cucurella, and the right back as well, neither didn’t perform very well the last few weeks. You need those kinds of players on the flanks to help him.
“Be patient with Jackson. I really like this striker. I think if you give him the passion and the love, if you give him the confidence, you will see he will improve.”
