- 2 hours ago
Chelsea submit SHOCK Enzo Fernandez swap deal offer
Cameron Smith
- 15 Nov 2024 16:30 CST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have offered Enzo Fernandez to Barcelona in exchange for Marc Casado, according to sensational reports in Spain.
Fernandez, 23, has been heavily linked with a Chelsea exit in recent weeks, amid his lack of game time in the Premier League, and a move to La Liga has been touted as a possibility.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have both been suggested as potential destinations for the Argentina international, but Hansi Flick has rejected the chance to sign him in 2025, according to El Nacional.
READ MORE: Chelsea missed out on 'top secret' transfer - Romano
The Spanish outlet claims that Chelsea have submitted a swap deal offer involving Fernandez and Casado, with Enzo Maresca eager to bring the Barcelona midfielder to Stamford Bridge.
Casado has burst onto the senior stage with several eye-catching performances so far this season and his form has attracted interest from Chelsea, in addition to several other top European clubs.
However, Barcelona boss Flick has vetoed the deal, with the 59-year-old viewing Casado as “untouchable.” Furthermore, the former Bayern Munich manager isn’t at all interested in signing Fernandez, with the Argentine’s reputation suffering a major decline since moving to Chelsea last year.
Fernandez, on the other hand, would reportedly be open to joining Barcelona if a deal could be agreed in 2025.
READ MORE: Why Chelsea MUST sell Christopher Nkunku in 2025
Enzo Maresca on Enzo Fernandez
When asked why Fernandez is no longer in his preferred starting XI at Chelsea, Maresca recently admitted: “I still trust Enzo. There is not any reason in the world I can lose confidence in him.
“The reason why he is not playing in the Premier League is because at this moment I take a different decision. My confidence is 100 percent with Enzo.
‘In this moment, I know you are looking for some different reasons for Enzo [not starting], but it’s very simple.
STATS
Enzo Fernández
M, DM (C)
Chelsea
Enzo Fernández
M, DM (C)
Chelsea
“He’s not playing at the moment, we have so many games, he’s going to play for sure in the future. And it doesn’t mean Romeo [Lavia] and Moises [Caicedo] are always going to play. At the moment one of them drops [their levels], probably we will change it.
Maresca added: “It’s a matter of balance. Romeo and Moi give us physicality and strength in the middle. This is why we found the option of Malo [Gusto] in the pocket.
“Otherwise, when we play with Enzo it has to be with one of Moi or Romeo, and [when] Enzo moves forward we struggle in the middle for physicality.”
