Chelsea risk losing second star to Real Madrid days after Marc Cucurella deal as transfer talks begin

Real Madrid are set to open talks with Chelsea over Enzo Fernandez, talkSPORT understands.

Chelsea are open to a sale, but value the Argentine World Cup winner at £120m.

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Fernandez is keen on a move to the Bernabeu and was banned by Chelsea for two games in April after the club were unhappy with the 23-year-old hinting at a switch to Madrid.

It has not been lost on Chelsea that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez boasted of making a €150m offer for a superstar prior to being re-elected, and followed through on his promise by tabling a rejected bid for Julian Alvarez, as least according to an official statement released by Real.

The move showed Real have significant funds to strengthen their squad with.

Real have already added Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konte on free transfers, while Denzel Dumfries will arrive from Inter.

Chelsea are not prepared to sanction a cut-price sale and would be content if Fernandez remained a Blues player come the end of the window.

Yet Fernandez has made it clear he wants to leave, and his new agent, Javier Pastore, has been prioritising a potential move to Madrid.

Madrid are also considering Rodri and Mateus Fernandes as they assess the type of profile they want in the centre of the park.

Ballon d’Or winner Rodri also has an extension offer on the table from Manchester City, while Fernandes is being pursued by Manchester United.

Silva’s arrival after leaving Manchester City already adds a creative central midfielder, but a bid for Fernandez is not discounted in addition.

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Real are keen to understand whether Chelsea’s asking price could drop or concessions be made on the structure of a deal that would come close to the British transfer record.

One reason Fernandez is under consideration is because he can play as a six, an eight or a 10.

After winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar four years ago, he joined Chelsea from Benfica for £106m in January 2023. He has gone on to make 169 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 31 times.

News of Real Madrid’s interest in Fernandez comes days after Marc Cucurella’s move to the Bernabeu was confirmed.

The Spain international will link up with his new Real Madrid teammates once the 2026 World Cup draws to a close.