Enzo Fernandez spotted in Madrid after Chelsea transfer hints | OneFootball

Argentine joins team-mates in Spain for mid-season getaway

The Chelsea squad were given two days off following their FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds, in which Fernandez scored the only goal, and are due back at Cobham on Wednesday morning. They do not play again until Nottingham Forest visit Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

The Argentine is understood to be a keen tennis fan and has travelled to the Spanish capital to watch the Madrid Open, where his countryman Francisco Cerundolo will face Alexander Blockx in the round of 16 on Tuesday evening.

Fernandez and his team-mates made Chelsea aware of their travel plans, Standard Sport understands. The trio are acompanied in Madrid by their partners.

Fernandez made headlines during the March international break as he appeared to posture for a move to Real Madrid, giving multiple interviews discussing his desire to live in Madrid and refusing to commit his future to Chelsea beyond this season.

He was slapped with a two-match suspension by the club for his comments, ruling him out of the win over Port Vale and Premier League defeat by Manchester City. He has impressed since returning, though, donning the captain’s armband against Brighton and Leeds.

Then-manager Liam Rosenior said of the decision to drop Fernandez: “We think a line was crossed. It's not ideal. A lot of it stemmed from a really difficult ten days, probably the most difficult ten days of my career.

Fernandez later apologised to his team-mates following peace talks with the club’s hierarchy.

The 25-year-old Argentine joined Chelsea from Benfica for over £100m in January 2023 and is the club’s second-top goalscorer this season, finding the back of the net 13 times in all competitions. Only his holiday companion Joao Pedro has scored more.