Maresca says City will not meet Chelsea’s 5pm deadline for Fernández
Enzo Maresca said on Friday that Manchester City will not meet Chelsea’s 5pm deadline to sign Enzo Fernández, comments made as he prepared for Sunday’s Community Shield against Arsenal in Cardiff.
Maresca is set to lead City in a major match for the first time and said his squad remains unfinished, with the club close to signing 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille. Chelsea value Fernández at £120m and have set a 5pm Friday cut-off for offers; Fernández previously worked with Maresca at Stamford Bridge. Maresca warned that transfers remain possible but stressed the team preparation for the upcoming fixture.
“Not today to be honest, I don’t think we’re going to do something today,” Maresca said, adding: “For sure there are things we need to do, how many I don’t know, can be one can be two depends also if players want to leave so we can see. It’s 48 hours for the final, my first final in this club, I would like to win my first trophy, so my focus isn’t on players that can leave or players that can arrive, my focus is on the game.”
The club have rejected two bids from Barcelona for Rodri and are expected to sell Tijjani Reijnders in the coming days, the club confirmed. Those transfer matters sit alongside ongoing interest in potential arrivals and departures as City complete their squad.
On Rodri, who has a year remaining on his contract and returned to the club on Friday after his holiday following the culmination of a triumphant World Cup, Maresca declined to be drawn on the midfielder’s immediate future. “The transfer window is open, we can buy players, we can sell players, anything can happen. I just saw Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug, he looks good, so we’ll see what happens,” he said.
Reijnders is set to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah after the two clubs agreed a £51m fee; he moved to City last summer from Milan but wants more regular playing time. Maresca reflected on squad dynamics: “They all work every day, they all do sessions every day and at the end of the week they all want to play a game,” Maresca said. “When they don’t play, they struggle to understand or they struggle to see the reason why and I can understand that after one season some of them would like to play a little bit more. It’s a normal situation.”
James Trafford has already been sold to Leeds, while Omar Marmoush, Rico Lewis and Savinho are players who spent much of Pep Guardiola’s final season on the periphery and could be sold. Those departures form part of the squad changes City are managing ahead of the new campaign.
City will meet Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff on Sunday, the match Maresca has framed as his first final at the club and one where he said he would like to win his first trophy.