Man City transfer now in final stages as Romano reveals Chelsea response to ‘contact’ over Fernandez | OneFootball

According to reports, Rodri is closing in on a move to Barcelona, while Manchester City have stepped up their efforts to sign Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez.

Man City have been active in the transfer market this summer, and they have largely been focused on overhauling their midfield.

Having already signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, Enzo Maresca’s side are now reportedly close to signing Lille and Morocco sensation Ayyoud Bouaddi.

But the Premier League side are not finished there, with it reported this week that they will try to sign Chelsea midfielder Fernandez if/when Rodri completes his move to Barcelona.

It has already been reported that personal terms are in place for Rodri to join Barcelona, but the Spanish giants now need to settle on a transfer fee with Man City.

Barcelona failed with an opening offer last week, but Fabrizio Romano stated on Wednesday morning that there is now a ‘new proposal’.

Romano said on X: ‘Barcelona have already made new verbal proposal to Manchester City for Rodri worth €60m with add-ons.

‘Man City insist on €80m valuation to sell Rodri, Barça remain confident to close.

‘Half way between €60m bid and €80m can be the solution, with add-ons key.’

Journalist Nicolo Schira has gone further, having stated that Rodri to Barcelona is at the ‘final stage’ of negotiations.

Schira said on X: ‘Excl. – #Rodri to #Barça from #ManchesterCity is at the final stage.

‘Last details but #FCB are very confident to close the deal this week. Ready a compensation fee for #MCFC around €60-70M. Expected direct talks today. Contract until 2030 (€15M/year).’

Fabrizio Romano issues significant Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City update

Regarding Fernandez, Romano has confirmed that there has been “contact” between Fernandez and Man City in recent days.

However, Romano has also revealed that Chelsea have given a firm response with a “take it or leave it” ultimatum.

“Over the recent days, some contacts took place between the agent of Enzo Fernandez, Javier Pastore, and Manchester City,” Romano explained.

“In this context, Manchester City’s message was about the interest they have at the club in Enzo Fernandez, especially Enzo Maresca.

“Enzo Maresca is a big fan of Enzo Fernandez. Enzo Maresca had a great relationship with Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea.

“Enzo Maresca, in the internal discussions at Manchester City while planning for the summer transfer window, always indicated Enzo Fernandez as a potential target, even before this Rodri storm after the World Cup.”

He continued: “What can happen here? Chelsea feel very relaxed on Enzo Fernandez. Why? Because for Chelsea it’s a very clear situation. They’re more than happy to keep Enzo Fernandez at the club.

“Chelsea believe that the problems were in the players’ camp, not on the player’s direct side. And so Chelsea believe that Enzo can still stay at Chelsea, continue at the club and be an important player for Xabi Alonso. So this is Chelsea’s feeling.

“For Chelsea it’s been clear. Chelsea want £120m. Manchester City, on their side, are not expected to spend this money. So Man City hope there could be room for negotiation for Enzo Fernandez.

“This is the situation around Enzo. It can depend on the price. If Chelsea can reduce the price in the next days, for Manchester City it could be a possibility.

“If the price remains £120m, the deal for Enzo Fernandez to Man City can still be considered complicated. So it really depends on the numbers, on the financials of this deal.

“Don’t forget in this saga also how tense the situation was between Chelsea, Man City and Maresca about the appointment of the manager at Manchester City. Don’t underestimate this because Chelsea want to be happy in terms of the transfer fee if this deal has to happen.

“For Chelsea, a case of ‘take it or leave it’ in a few days because Chelsea don’t want to negotiate close to the end of the window.”