According to The Athletic, Real Madrid is interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández for £120 million this summer. The midfielder has improved consistently, possesses experience in big games and leadership qualities, and is at his peak. However, due to openly expressing his desire to leave, disciplinary issues, and Chelsea's recent poor performance, the club faces a dilemma: keep him and rebuild, or sell him for a high price.

The report suggests this transfer saga is set to become a prolonged tug-of-war during the summer transfer window: will Enzo move to Real Madrid or remain at Chelsea?

Over the past three months, Enzo transfer rumours linked to the Bernabéu have emerged almost daily. As early as March, the 25-year-old expressed his desire to establish himself in Madrid during an interview, for which Chelsea suspended him for two matches. Subsequent transfer rumours were inevitable.

Earlier this year, contract extension negotiations stalled, and Chelsea did not include him on their "not for sale" list, sending a clear signal to Real Madrid: Enzo is negotiable, but Chelsea's asking price is £120 million (equivalent to $158 million).

The Athletic reported on Thursday that Argentine international Enzo Fernández is the primary target of Real Madrid's new manager, Carlo Ancelotti, to bolster the midfield. Chelsea's previous sale of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid also indicates the Blues' willingness to do business with the La Liga club.

Below are the reasons for Chelsea to keep Enzo and to sell Enzo:

Reasons to keep Enzo

Losing another team leader now would be unwise

In the January 2023 transfer window, Chelsea spent an impressive £106 million to sign Enzo from Benfica. After arriving in the Premier League, he has consistently developed his talent, gradually growing into a midfield pillar and a crucial central figure in the dressing room. Over the past two full seasons, captain Reece James has frequently been sidelined by injury, and Enzo has repeatedly assumed the captain's armband, taking on the heavy responsibility of leading the team.

Cucurella is also a veteran with deep experience in the squad, consistently setting an example both on and off the pitch. If Chelsea were to part with these two key players in the same transfer window, the team would face enormous gaps, difficult to fill, both in the squad and in morale. Outside observers have long criticized Chelsea for lacking experienced leaders who can command the dressing room. Losing veteran players consecutively would only exacerbate the thorny problem of a leadership vacuum within the team.

Enzo himself has a strong championship pedigree: he won the 2022 Qatar World Cup with the Argentine national team early in his career, and last year he led Chelsea to win the UEFA Conference League and the Club World Cup. Having experienced numerous crucial finals, he clearly understands the sweat and struggle required to reach the podium and win trophies.

Individual performance is improving consistently

In terms of offensive contribution statistics, Enzo has been impressive: he has played 169 matches for Chelsea across all competitions, scoring 31 goals and providing 30 assists, meaning he is involved in a goal approximately every three matches. For a dedicated midfielder who is not a pure striker, this record is quite remarkable.

Notably, Enzo's goal tally has increased year-on-year in each full season: 7 goals in 2023-24, 9 goals in 2024-25, and a personal record of 15 goals last season, clearly indicating his improving form.

Difficult to find a replacement

Even if Chelsea receives the desired offer of £120 million, securing a suitable replacement will be a challenge. Finding a midfielder who can replicate Enzo's offensive output is not easy, and a drop in midfield firepower could directly affect the team's performance.

Once other clubs learn that Chelsea has a huge transfer budget and urgently needs reinforcements, they will inevitably inflate their prices for new players. Compared to the difficulty of finding a replacement, keeping Enzo is itself less costly and less risky.

His peak is still ahead

Enzo is only 25 years old, and the prime of his career is still to come. With new manager Xabi Alonso, who was one of the best midfielders in his playing days, Enzo still has room to evolve and surpass his current limits.

Reasons to sell Enzo

He hasn't set the right example off the pitch

Following manager Enzo Maresca's departure earlier this year, Chelsea's performance collapsed, and Enzo's words and actions have been disappointing.

Enzo's public desire for Real Madrid was not his only controversial behaviour: after the team changed managers and Liam Rosenior took over, he and Cucurella spoke together in a TUDN interview, stating they couldn't understand the mid-season managerial change, calling it "a blow to the players." Perhaps he was unaware that Maresca left voluntarily, but these remarks only increased pressure on new manager Rosenior.

While it is understandable that a player would aspire to Real Madrid's status in football, he should have waited until the summer transfer window to pursue a move, rather than spreading rumours and undermining team morale mid-season, disrupting the team's rhythm heading into the final stretch.

Moreover, the stalled contract negotiations are a hidden danger, leaving Enzo eager to depart. A dissatisfied player at the core could easily derail Alonso's rebuilding plan; if he is forced to stay, the drama of Real Madrid's persistent interest and fluctuating morale will likely repeat itself in summer 2027. A clean break may be the ideal solution for all parties.

Impossible to refuse an exceptionally high offer

If Real Madrid or other financially strong top clubs are willing to make an exceptionally high transfer offer of £120 million, given Chelsea's current operational circumstances, this highly tempting offer would be nearly impossible for the club's management to reject outright.

Even though Enzo is an exceptional player and a key midfielder, selling him for a price close to his original substantial transfer fee, or even making a small profit, would undoubtedly be a very shrewd business move from the club's operational perspective.

At this stage, Chelsea urgently needs targeted reinforcements to strengthen its weaknesses across several positions. This record transfer revenue could both provide sufficient funds to support the team's summer transfer investments and effectively offset the massive revenue gap caused by the team's failure to qualify for European competition next season.

Team performance has consistently underperformed expectations during his tenure

Chelsea has failed to challenge for the league title for four consecutive seasons. Although Enzo has been a regular starter for years, and poor performance cannot be attributed solely to him, the Blues have not achieved expected results after signing him at a high fee: their league positions over four seasons were 12th in 2022-23, 6th in 2023-24, 4th in 2024-25, and 10th in 2025-26. They also won no domestic cups, failing to justify the high transfer fee.

Lack of discipline

Chelsea has long struggled with indiscipline, which has been widely criticized by fans and media. The team finished in the bottom half of the Premier League fair play table twice in the last three seasons.

Since joining the Blues, Enzo has accumulated 37 yellow cards across all competitions, a significant number of which were for complaining to referees or refusing to accept decisions.

Now, Chelsea is determined to completely rectify the team's on-pitch conduct, urgently needing key players to set an example by strictly adhering to the rules. However, Enzo's frequent impulsive bookings for unnecessary reasons inevitably lead outside observers to question his suitability as a model of discipline.

Traduzido por IA.

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