Manchester City's interest in Enzo Fernandez has been nothing new. After all, the Cityzens have been eyeing the Argentine back in April, keen to pair him with Elliot Anderson in midfield.Tijjani Reijnders' move to the Saudi club Al-Qadsiah and Rodri's potential transfer to Barcelona have only intensified City's push to sign Enzo.However, Chelsea's response was quite unexpected, as they accelerated the process to a pace the Cityzens couldn't match.Chelsea give City an ultimatum over EnzoIn a bid to avoid another transfer saga and prevent things from dragging on until the end of the month, the Blues issued an ultimatum to the Manchester club: splash out £120 million by Friday at 19.00 or forget about signing Fernandez.And their strategy clearly did the trick, as Chelsea received no offers for their vice-captain, meaning he is now set to stay at Stamford Bridge.🚨🔵 Chelsea have not received any official bid for Enzo Fernández — as their own 5pm UK time ‘deadline’ has now passed.#CFC inform £120m verbal ‘exit clause’ made available to Enzo’s camp for potential suitors at end of May is now off the table. pic.twitter.com/7aZZiq934S— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 14, 2026 Enzo Maresca's wish to reunite with his former player at the Etihad Stadium won't materialize, although even Fernandez himself said during the 2026 World Cup that he wasn't sure what his future would hold.Still, Xabi Alonso's arrival and reported conversation with the midfielder apparently helped him make up his mind, as the tactician revealed that Enzo told him he wanted to stay.Had City broken the bank, Fernandez would have left, but the Blues seemed pretty confident it wouldn't happen. They backed their strategy, took a gamble, and it paid off.##NAJAVA_MECA_9895153##