Enzo Fernandez brought his three-year stay in the capital to a close when he finalised a £125million switch to Manchester City on transfer deadline day.
The Argentine international’s acquisition was highlighted by Gary Neville as the standout midfield transfer of the summer across the Premier League.
The former United defender described Fernandez as a proven performer in the middle of the park.
City’s attempt to secure the midfielder proved far from simple.
Fernandez had made clear his desire to leave Chelsea long before the transfer window officially opened, and the Blues ultimately opted to sanction his departure with mere hours to spare before the deadline.
Negotiations between the two clubs commenced on the penultimate day of the window.
City saw their opening offer of £104million plus additional clauses turned away, with Chelsea insisting on a fully guaranteed fee and establishing their asking price at £135million.
The champions responded with a revised proposal of £125million, which Chelsea accepted.
Fernandez was one of several central midfielders to relocate during the transfer period.
Manchester United spent a combined £155million on Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos.
Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes departed Newcastle for Tottenham and Arsenal respectively, with Matheus Fernandes also moving to Spurs.
Tottenham’s midfield recruitment cost £185million in total, while Arsenal invested £75million in Guimaraes.
Despite the calibre of those rival signings, Neville maintained that Fernandez’s arrival represented the most significant central midfield acquisition of the summer.
During an appearance on The Overlap, Neville expressed his view that City had secured an elite midfield talent.
The champions were not shy in committing significant resources throughout the window, with total expenditure reaching £454.2million.
Fernandez served as the marquee addition, though the club also allocated £60million, potentially rising to £65million with clauses, to secure Everton attacker Iliman Ndiaye.
The 26-year-old was brought in to fill the void left by Omar Marmoush’s earlier loan departure to Tottenham.
Those concluding acquisitions followed earlier substantial investments in reshaping the squad.
Elliot Anderson was City first major capture of the summer, having agreed terms during the World Cup period.
He was subsequently joined by Ayyoub Bouaddi, whose arrival from Lille carried a price tag of £85million.