Real Madrid’s Comunicado Oficial landed at 3.52am local time in Miami, where Enzo Fernandez’s representative, Javier Pastore, is currently based ahead of Argentina’s World Cup last-32 meeting with Cape Verde.
One can only picture the shock awaiting him when he woke. The 37-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina midfielder is likely to have found his phone full of messages — though not, it is safe to say, congratulating him on an Agent of the Year nomination.
Instead, the alerts concerned Real Madrid’s public dismissal of reports linking them with Fernandez, whom Chelsea value at £120million. The Spanish giants stated they have ‘no intention of pursuing such an operation’ and ‘categorically deny’ claims that negotiations are under way.
It makes for an awkward moment for Pastore and, inevitably, for Fernandez too. The 25-year-old Argentina international should have been waking up focused solely on Cape Verde. Instead, he was greeted by a statement from the world’s biggest club making clear they do not plan to sign him this summer.
We will come back shortly to whether that position is quite as definitive as it sounds, but first, there is Chelsea’s view of the situation to consider.
Enzo Fernandez’s agent Javier Pastore (centre) alongside fellow former Argentina international Ezequiel Lavezzi and Lionel Messi
Chelsea midfielder Fernandez, 25, should have been concentrating only on Cape Verde and the World Cup
Chelsea are not offering any public comment, but club sources indicate they are relaxed about Real Madrid’s response. It was not entirely unexpected. This is not the first transfer-related Comunicado Oficial issued by the La Liga club during this window, with similar statements following links to Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise and after Atletico Madrid rejected their £128.6m offer for Julian Alvarez.
As reported by Daily Mail Sport, Real have never initiated club-to-club talks centred on doing a deal for Fernandez, despite some claims to the contrary with social media awash with ITKs – ‘In The Knows’ – desperately trying to be the first to break the news.
Real’s manager, Jose Mourinho, is an admirer of the 2022 World Cup winner and would like a new midfielder. However, Fernandez is not their only candidate, and he represents an expensive option at £120m.
Chelsea have stood firm on that valuation ever since the noise started. Their position today is that Fernandez is their player, contracted to 2032, and expected to report for pre-season once he has had sufficient rest after the conclusion of this World Cup. It is added they have not been actively searching for buyers to sell their vice-captain to in the summer of Xabi Alonso’s arrival.
Should Fernandez stay at Chelsea, there is a way back for him. It is considered a natural consequence of football today that players and their representatives occasionally indulge in a little flirting, either in private or in public. Yet if no move materialises, it is presumed they will show their professionalism and concentrate on the club with whom they are contracted.
It is another case for head coaches. Enzo Maresca, for example, was in charge of multiple big calls at Chelsea. Once he had lost his club’s trust amid his own ambitions to succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the relationship was broken. Chelsea could not have his ‘head and heart’ – as they worded it in their statement when Maresca was announced as City’s new manager last week – with another club. There was no way forward together; no chance of continuing as if nothing had happened. Maresca resigned on New Year’s Day after a tense December.
But players? That is seen as a different situation, per sources. Chelsea believe Fernandez can be reintegrated into their squad if that comes to pass in this pre-season, and insiders insist it will if nobody comes close to their £120m asking price.
He would not be the first to stay after a noisy summer, nor would he be the last. If that happens, Chelsea may even consider reopening talks around an improved contract, though that is a discussion for another day. For now, his club wish him well at the World Cup from afar.
Chelsea are relaxed about the situation and wish Fernandez well at the World Cup as he tries to defend Argentina’s crown with Messi and Co
Fernandez would not be the first to stay after a noisy summer, nor would he be the last. If that happens, Chelsea may even consider reopening talks around an improved contract
Could Real return for Fernandez this summer? It is a possibility, of course it is. It would not be the first time they have disregarded their own denial. In the summer of 2002, they spent a month denying they had interest in Inter Milan’s Ronaldo, then they signed the Brazilian. In 2003, they insisted Manchester United’s David Beckham was not a target, then they signed the Englishman.
The statement for the Beckham saga was scarily similar to the Fernandez one, insisting there had been no contact ‘directly or indirectly’ and adding they have ‘no intention’ of negotiating a transfer. Florentino Perez was Real’s president back then and still is now, and he added ‘never, never, never’ when asked about Beckham at the time. Perez posed alongside Beckham at both his signing and unveiling.
Could another club come in for Fernandez? Sure, though Chelsea’s valuation shrinks the pool of potential suitors. Manchester City have already signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m. Paris-Saint Germain have been linked, but only loosely, and their midfield is already formidable. Atletico are based in Madrid, the city admired by both Fernandez, but again, Chelsea want £120m to sell.
The only upside for Fernandez and Pastore is that there are worse places to have an iffy morning than in the picturesque paradise of Miami.
