Lionel Messi’s Argentina teammate joins Erling Haaland at Man City in record £125M transfer

Manchester City has made a massive move, swooping in and nabbing Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez on transfer deadline day. City paid £125 million ($169M) for the 25-year-old star who starred alongside Lionel Messi for Argentina in the last two World Cups. Fernandez now joins Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and others to create one of (if not) the most star-studded roster in European football.

The £125 million price tag equals the record-setting transfer fee that Liverpool paid Newcastle for Alexander Isak ahead of last season. It surpasses the biggest moves of this summer, which included Chelsea paying Aston Villa £117 million for Morgan Rogers and Manchester City getting Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million.

Enzo Fernandez joins his former Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, at Man City as the club attempts to move on from the most successful era in its history under Pep Guardiola. Along with losing the greatest manager of all time, City has also said goodbye to several key players from that era, including Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and John Stones.

To fill these holes, City has brought in several players in addition to Fernandez and Anderson. The club added 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in France and 22-year-old attacker Allan from Palmieros in Brazil. Maresca will also rely on former young subs and role players under Guardiola to step up and contribute more. This includes 23-year-old attacker Rayan Cherki and 22-year-old defender Abdukodir Khusanov.

Plus, City still has Erling Haaland, who anyone who watched the 2026 World Cup knows is one of the best and most exciting players in the game right now. He will lead the charge as Man City tries to wrestle the Premier League title back from the defending champs, Arsenal.

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