Mendes brought in to resolve Fernandez situation

[Getty Images] Alexander Isak's protracted £125m move to Liverpool dominated last summer's transfer window and there are signs that Manchester City's pursuit of Enzo Fernandez could follow a similar pattern. Chelsea agreed with the midfielder's agent Javier Pastore in late May that he could leave the club for £120m - but they put a deadline of 14 August for any bids. Now that deadline has passed without any formal offers, the Blues have told Fernandez's camp that the player is not for sale in this transfer window. But, as last summer's Isak saga showed, it is rarely that simple. The Fernandez uncertainty is not going away. Manchester City, managed by Fernandez's former boss Enzo Maresca, are still keen to sign the 25-year-old and believe the London club still want to do a deal. City, who are also in advanced talks about a £85m deal for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, want to bolster their midfield after Rodri agreed a move to Barcelona and Bernardo Silva left when his contract expired. They have already signed midfielder Elliot Anderson for a club-record £116m from Nottingham Forest , winger Jeremy Monga from Leicester City for £12.5m and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille for £1.7m. If Fernandez and Bouaddi join, it means Maresca will likely have overseen a total spend of more than £330m. A chunk of that outlay will be funded by the sales of Rodri and James Trafford, as well as the likely departures of Tijjani Reijnders and Savinho. The exits of Silva, John Stones and Nathan Ake have reduced the wage bill too. Reports from Spain suggest Chelsea remain privately open to selling Fernandez and the club have appointed high-profile agent Jorge Mendes, who also represents winger Pedro Neto, to resolve the situation. Read the full article here