Manchester City completes $169 million move for Enzo Fernandez, matching Premier League transfer record

An almost entirely rebuilt midfield in a matter of weeks, and a fee that matches the transfer record in English soccer. That is what the summer window left behind for Manchester City, which completed the signing of Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for 125 million pounds ($169 million), matching the ceiling already reached once before in the Premier League.

The 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina arrives to reunite with Enzo Maresca, his former coach at Chelsea, where he served as vice captain. Maresca had made clear his intention to add leadership to the squad, and few players know his ideas as well as Fernandez, who worked under him for 18 months before the Italian left Stamford Bridge in January.

What stands out is that this is not the first time Fernandez has held the title of most expensive player in British soccer history: he already had it when he moved from Benfica to Chelsea in early 2023 for 106.7 million pounds (about $131.4 million at the time). Now he repeats the feat, this time wearing Manchester's sky blue jersey.

The road to closing the deal was not simple. City had been chasing him for weeks and appeared to have lost the race when it missed a deadline reportedly set by Chelsea in early August. Negotiations only picked back up near the end of the window, and the agreement was finalized on deadline day itself.

The midfielder had a difficult time in his final months in London. He was not a starter for Chelsea this season and was not even included in the squad for the last two matches as his future remained uncertain. In March, comments he made on a podcast stirred controversy when he said he would like to live in Madrid, a remark that fueled rumors of a possible move to Real Madrid and cost him a spot in two squad call-ups.

Fernandez said goodbye to Chelsea fans with a message on Instagram: "I want you to know that these have not been easy days for me. I have not been in a good place." Now settled in his new home, his tone was entirely different.

I couldn't be happier to be here, and I'm ready for the challenge of helping City keep winning trophies. This is a club built for success.Enzo Fernandez

A midfield rebuilt from scratch

City needed to reconstruct that area of the pitch following the departures of key pieces like Rodri and Bernardo Silva, along with backups Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders. Fernandez is, in fact, the third central midfielder to join the club for more than $100 million this window: before him came 18 year old prospect Ayyoub Bouaddi, from Lille for about $117 million, and Englishman Elliot Anderson, for $155 million.

On the same Tuesday as the Fernandez signing, City also brought in Senegalese forward Iliman Ndiaye from Everton for an initial fee of 60 million pounds ($81 million). Ndiaye arrives to compete for a spot among Maresca's wingers, a group that already includes Antoine Semenyo, Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden and fellow new arrival Allan.

For Everton, losing Ndiaye stings. He was their franchise player, the one who made the difference with his technique and effort. His story has something of a meteoric rise to it: just three years ago he was playing in England's second tier with Sheffield United, before jumping to Marseille in France and now landing at one of Europe's giants.

I've worked my whole life for an opportunity like this. It wasn't always easy in my career, but I always believed I could play for a team fighting for the biggest trophies, and now I'm here. It feels really good.Iliman Ndiaye

With these additions, City's total spending this transfer window has surpassed $600 million, an unprecedented investment for a single club in a single window. The club also sold plenty, though: it recovered close to $400 million in player departures, including Jack Grealish, who had arrived in 2021 for $139 million and now heads back out on loan to Everton for a second straight season.