Morgan Rogers scored as Chelsea beat Spanish side Real Sociedad 3-1 in new manager Xabi Alonso’s first friendly at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Englishman broke the deadlock for the Blues early on and, although the La Liga outfit responded, Joao Pedro continued his fine pre-season form by bagging a brace to earn the hosts a victory.
Alonso’s side will now prepare for their opening match of the upcoming Premier League season against Fulham next weekend but, in the meantime, a well-respected journalist has made a huge claim on the future of one of Chelsea’s most important players.
As per Fabrizio Romano, via CaughtOffside, midfielder Enzo Fernandez could still leave Chelsea this summer despite the club’s self-imposed deadline for offers having passed on Friday.
The west London outfit made it clear that interested clubs would have to submit offers of £120 million for the Argentine by Friday if they were to agree a deal, but no offers were lodged.
Fernandez’s future at Chelsea remains uncertain (Photo: Every Second Media/Alamy)
Premier League rivals Manchester City are said to be among the clubs showing the most significant interest in the Argentina international, but the Citizens did not make an official bid by Friday.
Despite this unofficial ‘release clause’ deadline having been and gone, Romano claims that the Blues could still allow Ferrnandez to leave if a significant offer is made.
While a deal would have been relatively straightforward if their valuation had been met last week, Romano suggests that the midfielder could still be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge if a bigger bid is received.
Fernandez joined Chelsea from Portuguese side Benfica in 2023 and has since made a total of 169 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 31 goals and providing 30 assists.
The midfielder – who previously admitted a desire to one day play for Real Madrid – was booed by sections of the home crowd when he was introduced as a substitute against Sociedad on Saturday.