Enzo Maresca insists Enzo Fernandez will stay at Chelsea amid Real Madrid links

Enzo Maresca has firmly stated that Enzo Fernandez will remain a Chelsea player next season, despite ongoing speculation linking the Argentine midfielder with a move to Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old caused a stir among fans after admitting that he “always” chooses to play as Real Madrid in EA Sports FC, at a time when the Spanish giants are reportedly showing strong interest in him.

However, Maresca hinted that the former Benfica star is not going anywhere this summer.

This reassurance comes amid reports that Fernandez has been spotted house-hunting in Madrid. Despite this, Fernandez remains under contract with Chelsea until 2032.

Should the club decide to sell, they would likely demand a fee higher than the £106.8million they paid Benfica for him in 2023.

When asked if Fernandez would be staying at Chelsea, he replied: “Yes.”

Maresca added: “It’s a main player for us. He’s one of the captains, he’s one of the leaders. This season he has been very good.

“He can be even better next season, starting from the first day. Nothing to say about speculation. His focus is on us and this is the most important thing.”

Fernandez has contributed seven goals and 13 assists across all competitions, helping steer Chelsea to the brink of Champions League qualification.

Meanwhile, Maresca has claimed that he may be forced to field a weakened side in next week’s Conference League final, which comes just three days after Sunday’s crucial clash with Nottingham Forest.

“The focus is on Sunday’s game,” Maresca said. “That’s the next one, the most important. After that we can focus on Wednesday.

“We don’t have enough time to recover energy so, for, sure we need to rotate and we need to change things.

“If both clubs were in same situation, us and Betis, it’s different. But because they play today, they have two days more. So we have to make some changes.”