Chelsea release Enzo Fernandez footage after Man City miss £120m transfer deadline | OneFootball

Interesting timing from the Blues on social media

Chelsea uploaded footage of Enzo Fernandez in training, just hours after the deadline passed for a £120million transfer.

As reported by Standard Sport, the Blues had put a deadline of 5pm BST on Friday, August 14 for any bids to be submitted for the Argentina international.

Despite Manchester City holding an interest in the 25-year-old, a bid was not submitted before the aforementioned cut-off point and therefore Fernandez is set to stay at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea will not sanction a sale until summer 2027 at the earliest.

That said, it is still unclear as to whether the Blues would soften their stance if bids at a lower value were made or offers are lodged following Friday’s deadline.

Interestingly, and perhaps not by coincidence, just over two hours after the 5pm deadline, Chelsea released footage of Fernandez in training playing a game of two-touch alongside the likes of Valentin Barco and Estevao.

Fernandez has been back at Cobham this week after a mandatory three-week holiday as he helped Argentina reach another World Cup final earlier in the summer.

The midfielder was sent-off for two yellow cards as Argentina were beaten by Spain after extra-time on July 19, though immediately apologised to supporters for his actions.

Refreshed following an extended break, Fernandez could feature in Chelsea’s final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon.

New manager Xabi Alonso is expected to give his returning World Cup stars - such as summer signings Morgan Rogers, Barco, Jordan Henderson and Maxence Lacroix - some minutes at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard may provide a further update on Fernandez’s future after the game, though it would appear he can plan for the season with the Argentine a key member of his first-team squad.