Enzo Maresca must allow 'perfect' Chelsea player to join Real Madrid for £113m - opinion

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was a linchpin in the centre of the park last season, with nine goals and 17 assists across all competitions. The 24-year-old is one of Enzo Maresca’s most important players but that should not stop a sale if the right bid comes in.

Spanish outlet Fichajes are newly claiming that Real Madrid hold such an admiration for the Argentine that they will sell three players in order to fund a bid for Fernandez. The Chelsea man is tipped to be viewed as the perfect long term successor to Toni Kroos after the German retired last year.

The Galacticos are reportedly prepared to use the money generated by sales of Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo and Fran Garcia to fund a €130 million bid for Fernandez, approximately £113 million. That would be just under £10 million more than the £106.8 million Chelsea paid Benfica to sign the midfielder two years ago.

Real Madrid prepare mega Chelsea bid

Given Fernandez’s prominence in the squad and a relatively small profit, some Chelsea supporters may scoff at that Real Madrid bid. However, that’s serious cash that Chelsea should really consider.

Maresca loves working with Fernandez and labelled him as the ‘perfect’ player for the Chelsea system last year. However, the Blues are blessed with strong defensive midfield options. Speaking about using the Argentine in different positions at the Club World Cup, Maresca said: “We are extremely happy with Enzo, not just in the final, but throughout the whole season.

“He played in a different position on Sunday. We tried to prepare for the match thinking that the result was going to be good and things were going to go well, and that’s what I felt on the day.”

Chelsea arguably have the best players in that position in the Premier League and Maresca knows that. Once Romeo Lavia was fit again towards the end of last season, the Chelsea manager tried to cram Lavia, Fernandez and Moises Caicedo all into the same system.

That saw Caicedo deployed at full-back, and the player looked unconvincing in defence. It appears that Maresca views all three as undroppable, but that is coming at the expense of his Chelsea system.

Enzo Maresca could do a lot with £113 million

Speaking about Caicedo to LondonWorld, former Chelsea full-back Glen Johnson said: “I think if you’re playing him right back just to get him in the team, then it’s wrong. If you’re playing against certain teams and you want a certain tactic - almost like what Trent Alexander-Arnold was doing - then he won’t be a right back anyway, if the ball is on the left he can be in the middle. As a tactic it can work against certain teams but that’s a lot different to getting him on the team sheet because you paid £100 million for him.”

Chelsea could pocket a huge £113 million by selling Fernandez and still have the best defensive midfield pairing in the league with Caicedo and Lavia. Given the number of games next season, a back-up would still need signing but the likes of Bayern Munich man Joao Palhinha and Brentford star Yehor Yarmolyuk are reportedly available for £26 million and £25 million respectively.

Spend that cash on a third choice defensive midfielder and Chelsea still have another £88 million in the transfer kitty. While Fernandez would be a big miss, just how far that cash could go is an enticing prospect.

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