Xabi Alonso refuses to guarantee Enzo Fernández will stay at Chelsea amid Manchester City interest

Xabi Alonso has refused to offer any guarantee that Chelsea will hold firm if Manchester City try to sign Enzo Fernández.

Fernández’s future remains up in the air and the prospect of him leaving Stamford Bridge has not gone away, even though Chelsea’s unofficial deadline for clubs to make written bids of £120m for the 25-year-old Argentina midfielder has already passed. City, who are also tracking Roma’s Manu Koné, have targeted Fernández as part of their midfield rebuild after Rodri’s move to Barcelona and are weighing up whether to make a move before the transfer window shuts.

Chelsea, who have identified Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton as possible replacements for Fernández, know the situation is fluid. The player has made no secret of his desire to leave the club and Alonso was noncommittal when asked if he would still be part of his squad at the end of the transfer window.

“Enzo is a Chelsea player,” the former Real Madrid manager said. “He’s a top player. He’s training really well since he started 10 days ago with the team. Very integrated, and we are happy with him. He’s getting ready for Monday.”

Chelsea open their Premier League campaign with a trip to Fulham on Monday night. Fernández is expected to be in the squad but Alonso dodged another question about whether the £106.7m midfielder has told him he wants to stay. “He’s training really well. I see him with a good attitude. That’s what we want. Everyone is trying their best to prepare for the kick off of the Premier League.”

Chelsea will want a new midfielder if Fernández goes. They are huge admirers of Scott but have already failed with one offer for the 22-year-old and have been told that Bournemouth will resist a sale this summer. Wharton is an alternative, although City have had an offer for the England midfielder rejected by Palace.

Alonso is also looking to trim down his squad before the window shuts. Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu have fallen down the pecking order up front and are likely to leave. Everton, Leeds, Ipswich and Nottingham Forest are tracking Delap. Chelsea also have interest in Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto while Palace want to bolster their defence by signing Axel Disasi on loan.

It has been another busy summer at Chelsea and Alonso must also consider whether keeping Fernández would sit well with supporters. Some booed him during the friendly win over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge last week. “He was not just booed, they as well chanted his name,” Alonso said. “It’s not unusual, it can happen. We support him. We have a great player with Enzo, he’s a top player, he’s been so important.”

There was a reminder of Fernández’s standing when he wore the captain’s armband after coming on against Sociedad. Alonso could continue to use him as Reece James’s deputy. “Reece is the first captain and we have other leaders, other personalities that share the same role,” the Spaniard added.