Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez responds to Real Madrid transfer rumours

Enzo Fernandez insists no talks have been held over a Chelsea exit this summer, despite being linked with a blockbuster move to Real Madrid.

The 25-year-old is a key player for the Blues, having signed for an incredible fee of £106.8 from Benfica in January 2023.

The 38-cap Argentina international played 53 games in all competitions last season and has already turned out 46 times this campaign, producing a career-best goal haul of 12.

Fernandez is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2032, but his future has been called into question after comments made this month.

Chelsea were bundled out of the Champions League in convincing style by Paris Saint-Germain, losing 8-2 on aggregate to the French side and Fernandez did not confirm that he would still be with the club next season.

Asked that question, he said: ‘I don’t know. Right now I’m focused on here, then there’s the World Cup, and we’ll see.’

The midfielder has been touted as a potential signing for Real Madrid, while PSG have also been linked with a move and he has now spoken again on his future.

Fernandez is on international duty with Argentina, playing pre-World Cup friendlies against Mauritania and Zambia, and was asked about his future, dismissing the idea that he is already in negotiations over a move.

‘There are no talks,’ he told ESPN Argentina. ‘Right now I’m focused on Chelsea, we’ll see after the World Cup.’

Blues boss Liam Rosenior said last week that Fernandez is happy at the club and that the midfielder felt his initial comments were misrepresented in translation from his native Spanish.

‘I had a great conversation with Enzo at length this morning before training, not just about his comments, just how he was feeling, how as a team we can improve,’ said Rosenior.

‘He’s one of the captains of the club. What I would say is that he made it really, really clear to me how happy he is here at this club, how much he wants to win, how passionate he is for us to be successful.

‘And he also said that in translation and in emotion, things get misconstrued in what he said.

‘For me, he’s fully committed to this group, he’s fully committed to winning here at this football club.’

The future of Fernandez may depend on how Chelsea finish the season and whether they will play Champions League football in the next campaign.

‘The most disappointing evening so far’

Rosenior’s side has suffered four defeats on the spin in all competitions, leaving them sixth in the Premier League table.

They return from the international break with a very favourable FA Cup quarter-final draw against Port Vale, but then face huge back-to-back Premier League games against Manchester City and Manchester United.

The 3-0 loss to Everton last time out was Rosenior’s ‘most disappointing’ of his time in charge of the club.

‘The most disappointing evening so far,’ he said. ‘In terms of the things we spoke about, not gifting goals away, getting control of the game – it wasn’t there.’

‘Plans are not solely based on whether we make the Champions League’

Rosenior has claimed that Champions League qualification will not determine summer decisions, but he would rather not put that theory to the test.

‘In my conversations with the ownership and the sporting directors, our plans are not solely based on whether we make the Champions League or not,’ he said.

‘But there’s so many ifs. We just have to make sure the “if” that we create is as positive as possible and we’re still in a position to do that.’