Remember August 12th, when Chelsea created a self-imposed public deadline for any club (but it was obviously directed at Manchester City) to buy Enzo Fernandez? The deadline was set for that Friday, Aug. 14th at 5pm. The “hard deadline” came and went, with no sale, and not even a bid.
In case you missed it, here is the tweet below from Fabrizio Romano.
🚨 BREAKING: Chelsea fix Friday 5pm UK time deadline for Enzo Fernández exit. 💣
Manchester City in talks with his camp for days but #CFC made it clear: £120M fee with payment terms also communicated.
£120M by Friday at 5pm or Chelsea will not sell Enzo to Manchester City. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/l9epIca5cB
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 12, 2026
Enzo Fernandez
Against the backdrop of all that, Manchester City reached an agreement to pay £125m (according to The Telegraph) to sign the Argentine midfielder, just hours ago, here on deadline day. It’s not official yet, as Enzo Fernandez still needs to pass his medical and sign the paperwork.
But a deal has been reached in principle to end the longest, most tedious and overall strangest transfer saga of the summer.
Guys remember the time when Chelsea set the deadline time for signing Enzo Fernandez to look TUFF..city ignored and almost paid the same amount on Deadline day. 😭😭😭😭😭 Chelsea F.C. you ain’t #HIM so keep bullying Brighton or something. pic.twitter.com/TiOEaSk6eG
— Prateek Sharma (@prateeek5harma) September 1, 2026
So all that hard-liner posturing by CFC, only to do exactly they said they would not do. Although, to their credit, they raked in £5m more than initially expected. Meanwhile Enzo Maresca, the new City manager who coached Chelsea last season, now lands his top overall target.
And in doing so, MCFC equals the British transfer fee record. It equals the £125m that Liverpool paid Newcastle United for Alexander Isak last summer.
Lamine Camara
Selling Enzo means that a replacement needs to be found, and Chelsea believe they have it in AS Monaco midfield man Lamine Camara. According to Sky Sports, the two sides have reached agreement on a £47m deal, after Monaco rejected a £38.5m (€45m) offer from Chelsea earlier today.
Camara, 22, will now undergo a medical and sign a six-year deal, with the hopes that the Sengalese international could be available (provided everything goes through) for the London derby against Arsenal on Sunday.
Also, Mykhailo Mudryk finalized his loan move to Tottenham today. Happy Summer Transfer Window Deadline Day everyone! We’re truly in the 11th hour now.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.