Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez has left the door open for a sensational summer exit.
The World Cup winner played an hour after the Blues’ 3-0 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, a result that handed the west London team an embarrassing 8-2 aggregate defeat in the Champions League round of 16.
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It was a result that clearly left a mark on Fernandez, as evidenced by a comment he made to ESPN Argentina after the game.
Right on the street?
Asked where he would play next season, Fernandez said: “I don’t know. There are still eight games and the FA Cup left.”
“There’s the World Cup and then we’ll see.”
When Fernandez was asked about it at his post-match press conference, Blues boss Liam Rosenior apparently surprised him with his eyebrow-raising remark.
“I didn’t see that,” Rosenior said.
“It’s hard for me to talk about speculation after a game. I have to concentrate on the most important things now, which is making sure we get the right result against Everton.”
How much did Chelsea pay to sign Fernandez?
A summer departure for Fernandez would be a huge blow to Chelsea as they spent a staggering £106.8m to sign him from Benfica in January 2023.
The transfer fee was a British transfer record at the time and was only bettered by Alexander Isak last summer when he moved from Newcastle to Liverpool for £125 million.
Given that Fernandez has cost Chelsea a whopping nine figures and they don’t want to make a loss, there are very few clubs in the world who could foot the bill if he continues to push for a move.
Which clubs could be in play for Fernandez?
Still, there is one particular club that The Pitch Prospect’s Ben Jacobs believes will move to the front of the queue in the Fernandez sweepstakes.
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“Enzo Fernandez is ready to leave Chelsea,” Jacobs said on The Pitch Prospect’s Sports Bar on Tuesday.
“It’s that simple. But are Chelsea willing to sell Enzo Fernandez? Not at the moment, but there’s still a long way to go until the summer.”
“The challenge is that Chelsea will not sell Enzo Fernandez for a book loss, regardless of what Enzo Fernandez wants or not, which means there are only a handful of clubs in the world that can afford Enzo Fernandez.”
“Some are in Saudi Arabia, he doesn’t want to go there. Some say PSG, I was told that’s way off the mark. Real Madrid is the other club.”
“My information from sources close to Enzo Fernandez is very clear: if, and it’s still an if because there have been no talks or a formal promotion, but if Real Madrid do come forward, that is the club that Enzo Fernandez would rather join than go to France or Saudi Arabia.”
“No matter what the player wants or whether he indicates that he would like to move this summer, and from the player’s point of view he may think that is possible, but we must not forget that Chelsea hold all the cards.”
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“He has a contract until 2032. I would be very surprised if Chelsea got involved or accepted an offer if it is a British transfer record.”
With Chelsea now out of the Champions League, Fernandez will focus on securing a place in the top four for the Blues to secure a return to Europe’s elite club competition next season.
Heading into the final eight games of the league season, Rosenior’s side sit in sixth place with 48 points, three fewer than fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Chelsea also have a home game in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4, where they host League One club Port Vale.
The Blues will look to put their Parisian nightmare behind them on Saturday when they travel to Everton. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.