AS: Enzo Wanted Real Madrid Move but Was Rejected, Manchester City Hijack Deal for €145 Million

According to AS, Enzo Fernandez had hoped to join Real Madrid but was rejected, and he eventually transferred to Manchester City for a fee of €145 million.

Enzo Fernandez has moved up to third place on the list of players ranked by total career transfer fees. With only three transfers, the midfielder has entered the top three of the most expensive deals in world football, with a combined total reaching €310 million. Chelsea paid €145 million for the former Benfica and River Plate player, plus some commissions. Ahead of him are Neymar, whose three transfers total €400 million, and Lukaku, whose total transfer fees amount to €375 million, although Transfermarkt statistics show he has gone through 10 transfers. Does such a price truly match the value of this Argentine midfielder, or is it simply a result of the Premier League bubble? The Premier League's current lack of control has seen it account for nine of the ten most expensive signings in the 2026 summer window. Analysts believe all of this stems from the Premier League's own excesses and the bubble it has created, but the Argentine's situation is also unique.

Enzo Fernandez previously spoke in support of Maresca at Chelsea. When Chelsea's ownership level criticized the Italian coach and decided to dismiss the manager who had led the team to win the Club World Cup, he stood by Maresca. The emotional and professional bond between the two continued to deepen, eventually developing into a transfer that has been written into Premier League and world football history. The Argentine was once determined to leave the London club, and at the start of the transfer window he also saw the door of Real Madrid open to him. In every sense, he believed he could move to Real Madrid, but this turned out to be a misjudgment. Real Madrid denied any interest, the situation returned to the Premier League, with Manchester City the only destination left along the way, and Ferran Soriano seized the opportunity, ultimately raising the price to €145 million, and it could even go higher.

Enzo Fernandez did indeed have contact with Real Madrid, there is no doubt about that, but it was not a mutually desired relationship; he found that response in the new Manchester City being built in the summer of 2026. Over the next few months, the Argentine must prove that he truly deserves to rank among the top three players in football history by total transfer fees. His ally Maresca is the person he strongly supported at Chelsea at all costs. By the way, his agent remains Javier Pastore, who is also the person he trusts the most.