Chelsea transfer news: Emi Martinez signed, Camara agreed, Enzo Fernandez waiting on Man City
One signing announced, one agreed and waiting on paperwork, and the biggest question of all still open: does Enzo Fernandez leave before Tuesday night? Everything Chelsea have done and still need to do, with what is official and what is not.
With the window closing at 23:00 on Tuesday, Chelsea are the most searched club in England, and for once the reason is not one deal but three moving at the same time. One is done and announced, one is agreed and waiting on paperwork, and the third is the sale that would pay for everything. Here is where each stands.
Done: Emi Martinez
The club announced the signing of Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa on Sunday, on a three-year contract. The 33-year-old leaves Villa Park after six seasons and 256 appearances, arriving with a 2022 World Cup, two Copa América titles and two Yashin Trophies behind him. His first words on signing were straightforward: he said he was delighted to be at the club, and that coming to Chelsea was an easy decision for him and his family.
The fee has been reported at £7.5 million, though neither club has published a figure. Worth remembering how close this came to not happening: earlier in August Martínez had been in talks with Juventus, and the move collapsed. Villa had already signed Zion Suzuki and were looking to move him on.
Agreed, not announced: Lamine Camara
The £38 million deal being reported for a Liverpool target is the same story: it is Lamine Camara, the 22-year-old Senegal midfielder from Monaco, and the agreement with the French club has been reached. Reports say only the payment schedule remained to be finalised, with a medical in London expected between Sunday and Monday.
Two caveats. The fee is not settled in public: British outlets say £38 million, others report €45 million including bonuses, which lands closer to £39 million. And as of today there is still no announcement from Chelsea, nor from Monaco. Camara has 75 appearances for Monaco with six goals and eleven assists, plus 49 caps for Senegal, and was tracked earlier in the window by Liverpool, Manchester United and Crystal Palace.
The sale that decides everything: Enzo Fernandez
Camara has been identified as the replacement for Enzo Fernández, and that is where the week turns. Manchester City put in a formal offer of £102.5 million in mid-August, short of Chelsea's £120 million valuation, and let a deadline of 14 August pass without improving it. Sky Sports have since suggested the Argentine may stay, while Fabrizio Romano reported on 25 August that City were preparing a fresh formal bid before the window shuts.
The player's position is clear enough: he has a contract until 2032 but has made it known he wants to go, and Xabi Alonso left him out of the squad, saying he needs players whose heads are in the right place. As of today there is no new offer on the table that anyone has documented, and no announcement from either club.
Everyone else on the way out
Alonso has admitted the squad is still too big and expects more departures before Tuesday. Axel Disasi has already gone to Crystal Palace on a straight season-long loan, with no option and no obligation to buy. Talks are open over Nicolás Jackson joining Aston Villa, valued at around £65 million; Mamadou Sarr is set for Real Sociedad on loan; and Liam Delap is in advanced talks with Nottingham Forest. On the market as a whole, the manager was cautious: he said the club are fairly close to the plan they had, and that they will see how much of it gets executed.
Meanwhile, they keep winning
The odd thing about all this noise is that the football has been excellent. Chelsea have won both league games: 3-2 away at Fulham on the opening day, with João Pedro scoring after thirty seconds, and 4-3 against Brighton on Sunday, a seven-goal afternoon settled by Cole Palmer on 74 minutes. Six points from six, third place, level with Manchester City and Hull.
A note on our own reading of that game: we had it down as a maximum of four goals, and it finished with seven. The call was wrong, and the reason is worth keeping in mind for Tuesday, when a squad in this much flux is exactly the kind that produces unpredictable afternoons.
Every Premier League prediction stays updated until kick-off, and the individual player calls are in the Player Predictions section. We will update this piece as deals are confirmed.
