Beijing time (BST) September 2 — According to sources from "football.london", Enzo's close relationship with Maresca was the central factor in his eventual transfer to Manchester City, and Enzo's personal determination to leave sealed the deal.

This long and drawn-out transfer saga, which lasted throughout the summer, finally concluded on Tuesday night. Throughout the summer transfer window, it seemed inevitable that Enzo would leave Stamford Bridge.

Initially, Real Madrid appeared to be the next destination for the Argentine international, and it was indeed his preferred choice — Enzo made no secret of his desire to settle in the Spanish capital one day, and had publicly expressed this idea.

Enzo's agent, Javier Pastore, was very prominent in the media. As early as July — which now seems like a long time ago — he publicly suggested that his client wanted a move to the Bernabéu, a move that even prompted Real Madrid to issue an official statement.

Surprisingly, Real Madrid made it clear to their fans and to the entire football world that they would not pursue Enzo this summer. Subsequently, Manchester City and Enzo's name came into the conversation, but the process was not smooth.

Despite Manchester City's interest in Enzo and ongoing communication with the Argentine international's team, it was only on the penultimate day of the summer transfer window that Maresca's team directly contacted Chelsea to discuss acquiring the midfielder. Manchester City was confident they would not need much time to complete the deal — and they proved to be correct.

Chelsea had initially priced Enzo at £120 million, but due to Manchester City failing to meet the offer by 5 p.m. on August 14 (Chelsea's internal, unofficial deadline), the Blues temporarily withdrew the asking price.

Manchester City knew that a later offer would be higher, but they decided to take the risk. Ultimately, after approximately 24 hours of negotiations, the Premier League rivals reached an agreement. Chelsea set a new club record for transfer revenue at £125 million, while Manchester City broke their own club transfer record for the second time this summer — having previously signed Elliot Anderson for £116 million in July.

Enzo will be reunited with Maresca at the Etihad Stadium. Maresca is eager to continue working with his former player, and Enzo is equally enthusiastic. Throughout the summer, Enzo clearly expressed his desire to leave Chelsea.

Chelsea remained calm about the situation throughout the summer transfer window, willing to let him go for the right price. Sources revealed that Enzo's close relationship with Maresca was the central factor driving the transfer to its completion, and Enzo's personal determination to leave completely sealed the deal.

Chelsea plans to reinvest the fixed transfer fee of £125 million to strengthen its squad, but insiders at Stamford Bridge cannot guarantee that these funds will be used to bring new players before the transfer deadline at 11 p.m. today.

Football.london understands that Chelsea's two bids to Monaco for Lamine Camara were rejected. The Blues only began negotiations with the French Ligue 1 club on Monday and are now in a race against time to bring the Senegalese international to London.

Chelsea were also interested in Manu Koné, but given that Roma is unwilling to part with the French midfielder, this transfer now appears unlikely. It is understood that Gasperini admires Koné greatly and appreciates the value he can bring to the team.

There were also rumors that Chelsea could quickly sign Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall before the deadline, but the possibility remains low.

Chelsea stated they have raised over £500 million this summer through player sales and loans, and will reinvest at the appropriate time. Now, Stamford Bridge prioritizes quality over quantity in new signings.

However, this strategy has left Enzo Maresca with limited midfield options, especially with Dario Esugo set to join Strasbourg on loan. Currently, the midfield options available to Maresca include: Barco, Caicedo, Lavia, Henderson, as well as the versatile Reece James, who can play in midfield, and Gusto, who played in midfield on Sunday afternoon.

It is certain that Chelsea fans are not happy with this summer transfer window. Most fans really wanted Enzo to leave, but also hoped the team would bring in new reinforcements. As things stand, Chelsea appear to have strengthened a Premier League rival's squad while weakening their own.

Traduzido por IA.

O site do AF já está online! Acesse notícias completas, comentários, detalhes de partidas e estatísticas no seu computador. Acesse: www.allfootballapp.com