Manchester City struck a £125million deadline-day deal to secure Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea – but Xabi Alonso’s side were left seething after Monaco pulled the plug on their own agreement for his replacement Lamine Camara.The Fernandez sale equals the British transfer record which was paid to Newcastle by Liverpool for Alexander Isak last summer, and is a fixed fee for the 25-year-old Argentinian with no add-ons involved. He was Enzo Maresca’s top target in this window.While Chelsea reached an agreement which took their incomings towards the £500m mark for the summer – with club sources pointing out that is also a British record – they did so without having their own replacement at the ready.Chelsea thought they had secured Camara from Monaco with less than two hours of deadline day remaining, having agreed a £47m deal. However, in a dramatic twist, the Blues were left stunned and furious when Monaco then went back on their word as the 11pm deadline approached.Chelsea sources say the two clubs had reached a full, written, club-to-club agreement for Camara to join. Yet when Monaco renegotiated their transfer of Folarin Balogun to Everton, Chelsea were told that the deal for Camara was being withdrawn.Insiders at Stamford Bridge described it as a deeply unprofessional way for another club to conduct business.That meant Chelsea were left without cover for Fernandez. Blues sources added they had the opportunity to stop Fernandez from joining City after they learned of the U-turn on Camara – but they had given their word to their Premier League counterparts and, unlike Monaco, they honoured it.Chelsea had spent their deadline day chasing Camara, seeing two bids worth £38.5m and £42.9m turned down earlier in the day before having a third accepted. Enzo Fernandez signed for Man City in a massive transfer deadline day deal In a statement released around the same as this bombshell news broke, Fernandez said to his former fans: ‘Chelsea will always have a place in my thoughts and, above all, in my heart. But I also understand how football works. I know how passionate you are, because I am the same. And if I were in your position, I would probably be thinking the same way.’City leaving their club-to-club negotiations until the final two days of the window had left Chelsea with limited time to secure their own signing.Central to Chelsea agreeing to a deal with City was Fernandez’s relationship with Maresca with the two wanting to work together again. Fernandez was known to have been keen to leave, having flirted with that idea before the last season had even finished.With no Fernandez or Camara – and with Dario Essugo joining Strasbourg on loan – Chelsea’s senior midfield options are Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson. Malo Gusto can also be used centrally if required. While Fernandez developed a helpful habit of scoring important goals, Xabi Alonso has an impressive attack, having signed Morgan Rogers for £117m this summer to form a front three with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.Chelsea fans may be glad that what turned into an exhausting saga is coming to an end at least.Chelsea initially attempted to accelerate a conclusion by creating their own deadline for bids by Friday August 14 at 5pm. That was for a £120m transfer and the terms were communicated to their Premier League counterparts via Fernandez’s camp, led by Javier Pastore. Chelsea’s hope was that it would give them ample time to replace their 2022 World Cup-winning midfielder.However, City did not play along with Chelsea’s deadline. No offer was submitted, and Blues insiders claimed they ‘expected’ Fernandez to stay with them for the entirety of 2026-27.He was even handed the captain’s armband when he appeared as a substitute in their final friendly at home to Real Sociedad, receiving a mixed reception inside Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were left furious by Monaco’s handling of Lamine Camara’s prospective move Fernandez was booed by fans upon returning to the Premier League following his World Cup taunts Fernandez appeared in their Premier League opener at Fulham as a substitute. While the home fans inside Craven Cottage booed him after Argentina’s behaviour at the World Cup, the away end welcomed him warmly, with those Chelsea supporters even chanting his name.Fernandez continued to train with his team-mates and in Alonso’s main squad rather than the second group including Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson, but then disappeared.Following talks with Alonso, he was not involved in their Carabao Cup win over Luton, or in their Premier League victory against Brighton. Alonso insisted publicly it was his decision after speaking with the player, but did add he selected a squad that had the ‘desire to play’.Maresca had a good relationship with Fernandez at Chelsea, where he often wore the captain’s armband in the absence of James. Maresca also handed him that armband barely a month after the Argentinian was accused of singing a racist song following his country’s 2024 Copa America triumph. That was in Chelsea’s Premier League opener at home to City.When Maresca eventually exited Chelsea after speaking with City about succeeding Pep Guardiola, Fernandez was among those who spoke up, suggesting it ‘hurt’ the team. The Blues ended up finishing 10th in that season, leaving them with no European football under Alonso for this term.