Preliminary agreement: Enzo Fernández deal knocks on Manchester City's door

Manchester City have reached an initial agreement with Chelsea over the signing of Enzo Fernandez, with the deal edging closer to completion in the final hours before the transfer window closes.

According to Britain's "The Sun" newspaper, City officials finally opened direct talks with their Premier League rivals over the 25-year-old midfielder on Monday.

Fernandez is preparing to reunite with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola in the Etihad hot seat during the summer.

The Argentine faces a race against time. He must complete the move before the window slams shut at 11pm local time today.

Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio confirmed City had reached an initial agreement over the deal.

Fernandez now awaits the green light to undergo a medical ahead of completing the switch.

Chelsea and manager Xabi Alonso stayed quiet over the midfielder's future after leaving him out of the squad for Sunday's clash with Brighton.

Asked whether the World Cup winner had played his last match for the London club, the Spanish boss replied: "We'll see. We want what's best for the team, which is why we made the decision against Luton and today, and anything that happens before Tuesday evening, we need to be aware of how things will develop."

He added: "We're not sure, we're preparing for all scenarios, but I'm certain that whatever happens from Wednesday, we'll have a good enough squad to compete in all the Premier League matches."

Back in January, Fernandez took aim at the Chelsea board when Maresca was sacked.

"I don't understand it," he told Mexican network "TUDN". "Sometimes there are things we don't understand as players, and how and in what way they try to manage matters."

He went on: "Clearly it was a departure that hurt us a lot, especially in the middle of the season, as it cuts everything off suddenly."

"We had an identity. He gave us a system, although according to the nature of football, things are sometimes good and sometimes bad. But he always had a very clear identity when it came to training and playing," he continued.

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