Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea broke the British transfer record when they paid £106.8m for Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez in January 2023.

At the time, Fernandez was contracted at Benfica, who insisted that the playmaker would not go for less than his six-figure release clause as clubs began to circle following impressive performances at the 2022 World Cup.

The Blues made the leap and signed the 22-year-old on an eight-and-a-half year contract.

But has Fernandez lived up to his price tag?

His impact at Stamford Bridge has grown, season on season. He made just six goal contributions in his first full season in London, but scored 10 goals and made four assists in what could be final season at Chelsea.

He has also increasingly assumed leadership responsibilities at the club and worn his share of the captain's armband.

Fernandez was named in the team of the tournament as Chelsea won the Club World Cup in 2025, and scored the first of the Blues' four goals as his side came from behind to beat Real Betis in the Conference League final.

Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella

It has been a turbulent period for Enzo Fernandez at Stamford Bridge, during which he and his agent, former Paris St-Germain midfielder Javier Pastore, courted interest from Real Madrid, only for the Spanish club to issue a statement denying any attempt to sign him.

The situation has been ongoing since Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris St-Germain in March, after which Fernandez became increasingly critical of the club.

New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso spoke in July about a private conversation he had with Fernandez but declined to disclose details of the discussion.

For Chelsea, their previous record sale was Eden Hazard's move to Real Madrid in 2019, potentially worth about £150m if performance-related add-ons were triggered.

Image source, Getty Images

How do we feel about Enzo Fernandez possibly going to Manchester City?

Send us your views by clicking 'Get Involved'.

Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella

Enzo Fernandez maintains a positive relationship with new manager Enzo Maresca, who left Chelsea in controversial fashion on New Year's Day and moved to Etihad Stadium in June.

It could potentially be the second time Man City break their transfer record this summer, having paid £116m to recruit Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest in July.

There have also been major midfield departures, with City selling Tijani Reijnders to Saudi Arabian club Al-Quasiah for £52m, while Barcelona have signed World Cup-winning midfielder Rodri for £65m and Newcastle have agreed a £52m deal to sign Nico Gonzalez.

Earlier this summer, Bernardo Silva also left on a free to join Real Madrid.

Image source, Getty Images

Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City are set to make an opening offer for priority midfield target Enzo Fernandez.

The Argentina international, 25, has been identified by manager Enzo Maresca as a player who can bring quality to his midfield after a series of high-profile exits.

Chelsea are aware of City's interest and set an unofficial deadline for the deal to be completed earlier this summer at a minimum fee of £120m.

More to follow.

According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are considering making contact with Stuttgart over a potential move for 20-year-old German defender Finn Jeltsch.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter

Rob: What left-back do you think Man United will go for before the end of the window?

I don't think it is certain they will sign a left-back, Rob.

Manchester United do like Lewis Hall but Newcastle are not interested in selling and it feels as though that is one that could be revisited next summer.

United have been linked with a few alternatives but the key question is how much will it cost? Is there potential for a loan? Could someone in the senior squad leave to generate some finance?

Obviously Luke Shaw is first choice but United feel they have alternatives in Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui, who have also played on the left, while new arrival Carlos Baleba is left-footed and has played at left-back before for Brighton, even though he was bought at a midfielder.

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

Mathew: Anyone else thinking Man City are having a fire sale? Lots of players out, not many in? Are they tightening their belt for a specific reason?

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca made it quite clear during Friday's pre-match news conference that any player that is unhappy at the club is free to leave.

Maresca revealed that Savio had said "from day one" that that he wanted to move, while Omar Marmoush has been unhappy with the amount of gametime he has had since his move from Eintracht Frankfurt. He is too good a player to be playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland.

Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez have both failed to nail down first-team places and the club stance has always been, if a bid comes in that matches the valuation of a player, they are free to go if they wish.

City bought Reijnders for £46.5m last summer and made a £6.5m profit on him, while they recouped most of what they paid for Gonzalez last January.

Elliot Anderson has already come in, a deal has been agreed for both Ayyoub Bouaddi and Allan Elias, while speculation around signing Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea has not gone away.

I'm expecting City and director of football Hugo Viana to do some deals before the end of the transfer window.

Here are the stats from Liam Delap's senior career as a centre forward:

• 2025-2026 - one goal and one assist in 28 Premier League appearances for Chelsea
• 2024-2025 - 12 goals and two assists in 37 Premier League appearances for Ipswich Town
• 2023-2024 - eight goals and two assists in 31 Championship appearances for Hull City
• 2022-2023 - four goals in 37 Championship appearances for Stoke City

Image source, Getty Images

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter

Dave: Why is Delap worth £20m more now than one year ago after a dreadful season, is this just down to inflation of fees?

It's a fair point that there may be some inflationary impact on this. However, it will be a small one.

The main reason is that Chelsea's £30m deal to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich last summer was widely regarded as being below market value.

That was due to the relegation release clause in his contract being active last summer, and Delap was arguably a £45m to £50m player at the time.

Some might argue Chelsea received a good fee, given Delap scored only one Premier League goal last season. Again, that is subjective and depends on whether you believe he can rediscover his best form at Nottingham Forest this season.

Nedum Onuoha
Former Manchester City defender

Dom Solanke is different to Omar Marmoush. He's got more of a physical presence.

I could see the goalkeeper playing a flat ball into Solanke, Marmoush coming underneath him to receive it, and that becoming the start of the attack.

The two of them could complement each other. Playing in a front two might bring out more of Marmoush's strengths.

BBC Sport understands that Eintracht Frankfurt stand to earn no sell-on fee in the transfer of Omar Marmoush from Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur.

There has been speculation surrounding the fees that Spurs are paying for Savio and Marmoush, who are both joining the north London club from City this summer.

It has been reported that City overcharged for Savio, who moves for a £75m fee, in order that they could reduce the amount that they'd have to pass on to Frankfurt for the sale of Marmoush, who left the German club in 2025.

But Frankfurt have now confirmed that they won't receive anything as there was no sell-on clause in the deal that took Marmoush to City.

Image source, Getty Images

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter

Noah: Spurs fan here. How many more players are Spurs looking to bring in?

Much will depend on sales once Omar Marmoush and Savio complete their moves from Manchester City.

At the start of the summer, Spurs were targeting five major signings, alongside a number of free transfers, as they looked to transform Roberto De Zerbi's squad.

De Zerbi also said he wanted a 'bomba' signing alongside Savio and I would suggest Marmoush fits that bill.

Tottenham have well over 30 senior players on their books, depending on which academy graduates are included in that count.

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport

Omar Marmoush scored 16 goals in 62 appearances in all competitions for Man City following his move from Frankfurt.

Eight of those came in 36 appearances in 2025-26, but his Premier League involvement fell considerably.

He started only eight league games and played around 700 minutes, fewer than he managed after joining midway through the prior campaign.

His league return was three goals and three assists, with his 3.53 expected goals figure close to his actual scoring output. The issue was therefore not simply finishing.

Marmoush found himself competing for minutes in a side built around Haaland, while City further strengthened their attacking options.

Spurs forward Dominic Solanke has endured injury problems over the past 18 months, while team-mate Richarlison has entered the final year of his contract.

Marmoush is primarily a number nine, but he has rarely been confined to one role across the front line.

At Frankfurt he was used predominantly through the middle but also appeared as a second striker and from the left. City have followed a similar pattern, using him mainly as a central attacker while also deploying him from the flank and just behind another forward.

That flexibility could suit Spurs manager Roberto de Zerbi.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City

• Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest - £116m
• Jeremy Monga from Leicester City - £10m
• Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday - £3m
• Geronimo Rulli from Marseille - £1.7m

Nedum Onuoha
Former Manchester City defender

As much as he is good dropping towards the ball, I think Omar Marmoush is better when he plays on the shoulder.

He needs to be in a team that will constantly play balls in behind and force the opposition to run back towards their own goal. That's when you see a better version of Marmoush.

Opta's Premier League numbers from last season show he averaged 11.46 runs in behind per 90 minutes, almost identical to Dominic Solanke's 11.61 and ahead of Richarlison's 10.03. But he also offered considerably more with the ball.

It's Q&A time.

What do you want to know as we approach the business end of the transfer window?

We've got a host of reporters on hand to provide clarifications, insights and opinions.

Send us your questions by clicking 'Get Involved'.

Cheers!

Manchester City

• Savio to Tottenham - £75m
• Rodri to Barcelona - £65m
• Tijani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah - £52m
• James Trafford to Leeds - £45m
• Nathan Ake to Fenerbahce - £8.5m
• Reigan Heskey to Cologne - £6m
• Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid - free
• John Stones to Inter Milan - free