Enzo Fernandez could still follow Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid but a deal hinges on other factors.
The Argentine has never been shy in his admiration for Los Blancos. Comments he made earlier in the year admitting he'd love to live in Madrid saw former head coach Liam Rosenior dish out a two-game ban.
And although the Blues have remained firm in their demands of at least £120 million for Fernandez — a fee Madrid will struggle to offer upfront — it seems an agreement could still be reached.
Real Madrid will make Enzo Fernandez offer if at least one sale is made
The 25-year-old is currently with Argentina at the 2026 World Cup but all the talk back home remains on where his club future lies.
According to a recent report from El Nacional, Jose Mourinho's return to the Santiago Bernabeu has seen the Portuguese legend identify midfield as his priority position with the 63-year-old believing Fernandez is the best player to dictate game's tempos.
The problem for Los Blancos is still Chelsea's asking price, and with Fernandez under contract until 2032, the Blues hold all the power.
Consequently, if Madrid are to prise Fernandez away from west London, they'll have no choice but to make the South American their most expensive ever signing.
Because of this, El Nacional claim the 38-time La Liga champions will only make Chelsea a formal offer if they can offload either, or both, Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Fernandez saga set to run late into transfer window
Contary to suggestions Madrid could wrap a deal up at lightning speed, with so many moving parts in what would be a massive deal, Chelsea won't be expecting much movement for a while yet.
Both Valverde and Tchouameni are valued around the £85 million mark with the latter heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.
It remains to be seen how serious the Red Devils are about signing the Frenchman though due to West Ham's Mateus Fernandes the clear favourite.
Any hope Fernandez has of making his dream switch to the Spanish capital rests firmly on Madrid making sales of their own, and with such large sums involved, fans should expect this one to run, potentially right until the close of the window at the start of September.
During his three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, Fernandez, who joined from Benfica for a then-record £106.8 million, has scored 31 goals and provided 30 assists in 169 matches in all competitions.
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