City have sold Rodri to Barcelona for £65.3 million, Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah for £47m and are in the process of discussing a £60m move for Nico Gonzalez to Newcastle United.
It's a major midfield shift at a time when new boss Enzo Maresca is preparing his side for the first game of the new season against Bournemouth this weekend.
And the situation surrounding top target Fernandez now comes firmly into focus.
Chelsea remain willing to sell the player despite the self-imposed deadline they set for last week, but they are now changing the terms and valuation attached to the Argentina international.
City sources remain adamant they are not happy about discussing anything in excess of £120m but will need to negotiate how a move opens up.
Chelsea believe they can drive up his price at this stage of the window, but City believe the player's stance on the situation should help them negotiate a deal within a price range they are comfortable with.
Maresca has focus on Chelsea's squad at a time when he needs his City squad to onboard quickly with his plans and team direction. He has also told the City board he is interested in Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto.
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At this stage, Chelsea have also been pricing those players out of a deal, perhaps knowing that City are increasingly desperate for reinforcements. City have also been linked with Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton this week, but so far the London club have not had contact over such a proposal, we understand.
City have further players potentially heading for the exit as part of a chaotic August period.
Sources indicate that Tottenham remain in talks to sign Savinho and that they have also made new contact about the possibility of landing Omar Marmoush.
That would leave City in a situation where they need new attacking signings, as Jack Grealish also remains open to a move and the squad lacks any other obvious option to back up Erling Haaland.
Dean Jones is a transfer news and football insider for Flashscore, since 2025. He has been a journalist on leading UK newspapers and websites over the past 20 years, establishing himself as an authoritative and trusted voice in the industry.
