Manchester City are pushing to complete a deal for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez before the transfer window shuts on Tuesday.

Manchester City’s transfer window has had a very different feel to it this year. In recent years, we have become accustomed to the Blues getting their business done early and avoiding late drama where possible. This year, that has gone out of the window.

In fairness to City, not all of it was their fault. Talks to hire Enzo Maresca rumbled on much longer than anybody expected they would. Plus, the World Cup meant many stars delayed making decisions on their futures until after the tournament. However, the fact remains that City are now scrambling in the final hours to complete their business.

With Rodri, Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders and Bernardo Silva all having left the Etihad Stadium, City were always going to need to sign more than just Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi. The player they have identified to be their third midfield addition is Enzo Fernandez. Chelsea’s midfielder has been on City’s radar for several weeks but the deal is going down to the wire.

Some City fans are questioning why the club are looking to bring Fernandez to the Etihad. However, you only have to listen to what Maresca has said in the past about the 25-year-old to appreciate why he wants to reunite with his former player.

“He behaved as a leader and he is doing top, fantastic,” Maresca said in February 2025. “For sure Enzo has taken a step forward in that sense. He is showing how good a leader he is, how good he is on the ball, how good he is off the ball and we are delighted with him.”

A few months later during Chelsea’s successful Club World Cup campaign, Maresca said: “I am very pleased with Enzo especially because, first of all, he is a nice and polite boy, and then with us since we started he has been working very well in every aspect on and off the pitch. This season he struggled a bit at the beginning to understand the way we want to play but (since) then he is doing fantastic also in terms of numbers, goals and assists.

“This is what I want from attacking players – I have said many times that I prefer to have attacking players with 10-12 goals each than just one striker with 40 goals. His contribution has been top and I am sure it will be even better next season.”

Not only is Fernandez a player who knows Maresca’s system and has flourished under his management previously, he is also an established leader. The World Cup winner was one of the senior heads in the dressing room at Stamford Bridge and was clearly vital to Maresca’s plans.

In Cardiff earlier this month, Maresca spoke of having three leaders in his team: Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland and Rodri. The following week, he lost Rodri to Barcelona, leaving him with just two.

Marc Guehi and Gianluigi Donnarumma have leadership experience, but you are never at a loss with another strong character in the dressing room. The thing is, adding that quality costs money and with time running out in the transfer window, City are not in a position to be dismissive of Chelsea’s asking price.

It has been a tough summer for Maresca. There has been a lot of turnover in the squad and the Italian has had to respond to that. If City can pull off a move for Fernandez before 11pm on Tuesday, they will at least end the window by signing a player Maresca trusts to improve this team.

That is why City are going all out for Fernandez. He ticks the Maresca box, the midfield box and the leadership box.