His agent, Javier Pastore, later claimed that Fernandez was underpaid and wanted to leave following a difficult season for the London club.

Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season and ended the campaign without a trophy after losing the FA Cup final to Manchester City.

Real Madrid have since indicated that they have no intention of signing the Argentine, leaving Manchester City as the only known potential destination for the midfielder.

However, City have yet to indicate whether they are willing to meet Chelsea’s £120m valuation.

The Premier League champions are also pursuing Lille midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi.

Chelsea signed Fernandez from Benfica for £107m in 2023 but are now demanding £120m before considering his departure.

The club believes it has given Fernandez and potential suitors sufficient time to complete a deal, with around 60 days having been available for negotiations.

Chelsea are therefore expected to reject any offer below their valuation before Friday’s deadline.

The deadline is also intended to provide clarity for the club and player as Chelsea prepare for the new campaign.

New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has held talks with Fernandez about his future.

However, the former Bayer Leverkusen coach has declined to disclose details of their conversation.

Chelsea have made it clear that they are prepared to welcome Fernandez back into the squad if no suitable offer is received.

The club still considers the midfielder an important part of the team and is willing to fully reintegrate him into Alonso’s squad.

Fernandez enjoyed a productive individual campaign despite Chelsea’s disappointing league finish.

He scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in 54 appearances last season.

He also helped Argentina reach the World Cup final, although the South American champions eventually lost 1-0 to Spain after Fernandez was sent off.

The midfielder returned to Chelsea training this week for the first time under Alonso.

With Friday’s deadline fast approaching, Fernandez’s future at Stamford Bridge is now expected to become clearer within days.

In a deeply emotional message posted on Wednesday, Messi suggested that he is uncertain about continuing his playing career.

“All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” Messi posted on Instagram.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to carry on.

“You were by my side from the very beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?”

Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until the end of the 2028 season. However, speculation about his retirement had already increased after Argentina failed to defend the World Cup title they won in Qatar in 2022, when Messi lifted the trophy for the first time.

Reflecting on his father’s final months, Messi revealed that Jorge had hoped to watch him compete in another World Cup.

“I kept telling you we would reach the final so you could make the trip,” said Messi, who returned to the United States on Tuesday night following his father’s funeral on Sunday.

Messi mulls retirement after father’s death
“We made it to the final, but you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it to bring it to you and show you a new one. I couldn’t, my legs just gave out.

Addressing the media at the time, Messi shared that he was going through difficult and complicated personal days unrelated to sports.

Jorge Messi played a crucial role in shaping his son’s legendary career, acting as his primary advisor and agent.

He orchestrated Lionel Messi’s landmark transfers from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and later to Inter Miami.

As of now, the Messi family has not issued an official public statement regarding the funeral arrangements.