Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez set for joint British record £125m Manchester City move

Manchester City have agreed a £125million fee to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea (John Walton/PA)

Manchester City have agreed to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for a joint-British record fee of £125million, the Press Association understands.

It comes more than three months after the Argentina international first told Chelsea he wanted to leave and more than two weeks after the expiry of a deadline imposed by the club for bids.

Nevertheless, it is understood the club were always open to doing a deal beyond the August 13 cut-off, provided City’s offer reflected rising summer market valuations after a number of deals in the Premier League and in Europe that were struck for more than £100m.

The size of the fee matches that paid by Liverpool to Newcastle for Alexander Isak a year ago.

The move will reunite the 25-year-old with City boss Enzo Maresca, with whom he worked when the Italian was in charge at Stamford Bridge. The pair enjoyed a close relationship and Fernandez has been eager to work under Maresca again.

Formal contact was made by City over a deal on Monday evening and things moved quickly on deadline day.

Fernandez was left out of the last two matchday squads by Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, who said he only wanted players who had a “desire to play” for the club.

Fernandez, who has now been given permission to speak to City and finalise the move, has spent three-and-a-half years at Chelsea after signing from Benfica for a then-British-record £107m.

He could be one of two new arrivals at City on deadline day with the club also closing in on the signing of Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye.

A deal worth up to £65m was agreed for the Senegal international on Monday with City having switched focus to the 26-year-old after their attempts to sign Cody Gakpo from Liverpool failed to come to fruition.

Tottenham were also interested in Ndiaye but City’s offer of £60m up front plus £5m in potential add-ons proved the more attractive proposal.

Ndiaye, who joined Everton from Marseille for £15m two years ago and scored six goals last season, is understood to have undergone a medical at City on Tuesday.

The signings of Fernandez and Ndiaye would follow those of Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Allan Elias earlier in the summer.

In further business with Everton, City are understood to have agreed to loan Jack Grealish to the Toffees for a second successive season. The England international was on Merseyside to complete formalities on Tuesday.