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After months of tension, weeks of speculation and days of buildup, the completion of Enzo Fernández's highly anticipated transfer from Chelsea to Manchester City now appears to be imminent.
Enzo Maresca has long held a high regard for his former Blues vice-captain, but hopes of engineering a reunion between the two namesakes seemed to have dimmed after City failed to meet Chelsea's self-imposed deadline of Aug. 14. By allowing that opportunity to slip by, the Cityzens missed their chance to secure Fernández for $162.5 million (£120 million). The price of that hesitation has since pushed the fee to record-matching territory.
City are poised to pay $169 million (£125 million) for Fernández, according to The Athletic. That figure would equal the amount Liverpool paid Newcastle United for Alexander Isak last summer, making it the most expensive transfer in Premier League history. Only Paris Saint-Germain's blockbuster signings of Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé have ever commanded higher fees across any competition.
Fernández still stands apart from Isak, and indeed every other player, when it comes to the sheer absurdity of the transfer market.
Fernandez's Unique Place in Transfer History
£100m. Twice over. pic.twitter.com/MuPDAM6pAo
By moving for this record-equaling sum, Fernández stands alone as the only soccer player ever to command two transfer fees exceeding £100 million. Back in January 2023, the Argentina international was still riding the wave of his standout World Cup campaign when he joined Chelsea from Benfica for a remarkable £106 million ($131 million at the time).
That figure represented the British transfer record at the time — a benchmark Fernández is now set to reclaim. Allan Clarke is the only other player to have broken the record twice; one year after joining Leicester City for £150,000, Leeds United acquired the striker for £165,000 in 1969.
Only 15 players have ever crossed the notable £100 million threshold; four of them did so this summer alone. For the likes of Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson, Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola, however, it was a first-time experience.
"People talked a lot about the record transfer fee and everything surrounding it," Fernández reflected on the first time he crossed the nine-figure mark. "But I was solely focused on myself and on improving so I could show what I'm capable of on the pitch and represent Chelsea at my best. I never paid attention to what people were saying and I didn't feel the pressure personally." That will likely remain his mindset this time around as well.