Chelsea have earmarked Nottingham Forest midfielder Enzo Fernandez as a potential replacement for Enzo Fernandez if he departs the club next summer, as per Fichajes.
Fernandez was among Chelsea’s first high-profile arrivals since the Clearlake takeover of the London club, completing a then-British-record transfer to Stamford Bridge from Portuguese giants Benfica in January 2023.
Although his arrival coincided with the Blues’ poor run of results that campaign, which saw them finish 12th, he has remained a vital cog in the squad and played a fundamental role in their recent surge that saw them reach the 2024 Carabao Cup final and UEFA Champions League qualification, as well as last season’s Conference League and Club World Cup trophies.
However, the London giants are in a dip in form, with Champions League qualification now looking even more difficult as inconsistent results have led to a stern battle with Liverpool and Aston Villa for the top six.
Speculations have now grown over the Blues’ vice-captain’s future at the club after providing uncertainty on whether he would be at the club next season following Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
According to Fichajes, Enzo is attracting keen interest from several top European clubs, including Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Enzo remains ‘fully committed’ to Chelsea
As a result, Chelsea are now planning for his potential departure and have earmarked Forest’s Anderson as his ‘ideal replacement’, according to the report.
The report adds that the Blues believe that the 23-year-old perfectly fits into Liam Rosenior’s system, who sees him as the perfect partner to form a midfield partnership with Moisés Caicedo.
It appears Chelsea are looking to accelerate efforts to sign him ahead of next summer, as Fichajes claims that the world champions are preparing to submit an audacious formal offer worth up to £86m in a bid to get the deal over the line.
However, the West Londoners face fierce competition for Anderson’s signature from Manchester City and Manchester United, although Rosenior’s side are ‘confident’ of landing him by offering him a leading role in his team, Fichajes adds.
Amid speculations over Enzo’s future in recent days, the Chelsea boss has come out to clarify that the Argentine international is ‘fully committed’ to the club, and his statement after the PSG loss may have been misconstrued, so it’ll be interesting to see how the scenario plays out in the summer.
