Exclusive: Real Madrid and PSG Forced to Wait Until Next Summer for Chelsea Star Enzo Fernandez

Real Madrid and Paris St Germain are both monitoring Enzo Fernandez’s situation at Chelsea as they consider preparing bids for the World Cup winner, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal. 

Although the Londoners have made it clear they do not want to sell ahead of the new Premier League campaign, our sources have learned officials in both the Spanish and French capitals are convinced that stance could change next summer.

With Fernandez’s employers showing no sign of curbing their spending following another busy transfer window, teams across Europe are beginning to notice the high turnover of players at Stamford Bridge as BlueCo, the consortium which purchased Chelsea when Roman Abramovic was forced to sell his shares, look to comply with UEFA’s Profit and Sustainability regulations.

That has served to encourage both Real and PSG that Fernandez could become available at the end of the upcoming campaign; particularly if Enzo Maresca’s side fail to progress to the later stages of the Champions League or are unable to mount a serious assault on the Premier League title.

Big Buy

Aged 24, the Argentine international became the most expensive acquisition in British football history when he joined Chelsea from Benfica in a deal worth a reported £106m.

Two-and-a-half years later, Fernandez has emerged as a key figure in Maresca’s plans after making a total of 115 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 16 goals in the process.

Capable of operating in either a defensive or attacking role, the former River Plate prospect’s versatility has attracted an army of admirers since then. 

However, given the length of his contract and sizeable valuation, only Madrid and PSG possess the financial power required to trigger his release.

The technical department at the Santiago Bernabeu have been compiling a dossier on Fernandez for at least two seasons and considered swooping for his services following Chelsea’s triumph in the Europa Conference League.

But a combination of factors, not least BlueCo’s significant resources, has persuaded them to hang fire for now. 

Bankrolled by one the Middle East’s biggest sovereign wealth funds, PSG have also been keeping a watching brief on Fernandez of late and will act if Madrid show their hand.

Fernandez, who helped his country beat France at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was named young player of the tournament in Qatar. 

He has also lifted the Copa Sudamericana and the Recopa Sudamericana during a spell on loan at Defensa y Justicia, as well as the Argentine championship and Portugal’s Primeira Liga before heading to England.