Manchester City have secured the signature of Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea in a deal worth £125 million, matching the joint-British transfer record and surpassing the club's own mark set just weeks earlier by the £116 million arrival of Elliot Anderson. The deal brings to a close the summer's most protracted transfer saga after 79 days of negotiations.

Why Maresca needed Fernandez

Manager Enzo Maresca was the driving force behind the pursuit. When Maresca was appointed as Pep Guardiola's successor in June, he identified Fernandez — his former Chelsea captain — as a player he could trust implicitly within his system. The idea was to add someone already fluent in Maresca's style of play rather than spending time on tactical education.

Maresca took a comparable approach when he joined Chelsea in 2023, bringing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester — a player he had guided to the Championship title. On Friday, ahead of City's most recent fixture, he hinted at an imminent signing, saying he hoped to add