Manchester City have signed midfielder Enzo Fernández from Chelsea for £125m, matching the British transfer record, reuniting him with former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca who now leads City. The move came amid a chaotic deadline day in which Chelsea's attempt to replace Fernández with Monaco's Lamine Camara collapsed after Monaco reneged on a written agreement, a decision sources branded "deeply unprofessional", though this did not stop Chelsea proceeding with the Fernández sale.

Fernández, 25, joined Chelsea from Benfica for £106.7m in January 2023 and had been seeking an exit since March, growing disillusioned after Maresca's acrimonious departure and a Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain that led to him being dropped for two games. He becomes the joint-most expensive player in English football history alongside Liverpool's Alexander Isak. City have now spent £327m on midfielders this summer, also signing Elliot Anderson (£116m) and Ayyoub Bouaddi (£86m), while also completing a deal for Everton's Iliman Ndiaye for up to £65m on the same day.