Chelsea braced for huge PSG bid, with controversial transfer looming: report

Chelsea have everything left to play for this season but the January transfer window always throws up one or two big surprises.

The Blues won’t be planning to lose any key players this month but a change of manager can set brains ticking and feet itching, and interest from Paris Saint-Germain is unlikely to go unnoticed by ambitious players.

Enzo Maresca was sacked at the beginning of the month and one of his trusted players is wanted by PSG, according to reports in France. A move is highly unlikely in January but it would be a surprise if and when it did come to pass.

Could PSG really sign l’ennemi public numero un?

“PSG have identified Enzo Fernandez as a potential target,” reports L’Equipe. As previously reported, the Argentinian midfielder… is among the players who interest the Parisian club, especially since he is considering his future at Chelsea.

“He had developed a good relationship with Enzo Maresca, and the Italian's dismissal, replaced by Liam Rosenior, has clearly affected him.”

L’Equipe clarifies that no discussions are underway with regard to an immediate move, but says that PSG are keen on the Argentinian midfield player.

It would be a highly controversial choice even for PSG, a club whose own popularity elsewhere in France is limited. Fernandez is no friend of France, against whom he played in the World Cup final in 2022.

“[Fernandez’s] reputation has been tarnished in France due to a video during Argentina's Copa America 2024 celebrations, in which a racist chant with mocking references to the African origins of some French players could be heard,” says L’Equipe.

The disgraceful video fanned the flames of an increasingly ugly rivalry between the World Cup finalists and Fernandez’s apparent involvement makes him a bold choice for a club full of French internationals.

PSG have little regard for matters beyond the business of football and public opinion hasn’t stopped them reaching the top of the pile. On this occasion, their own supporters are sure to have a view.

Chelsea would have a big say too. Regardless of who’s in the dugout, Fernandez, who is ranked at no.11 in FourFourTwo's list of the best central midfielders in the world right now, is a key player for the Blues.

The 24-year-old has five and a half years remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge and would command a monster of a transfer fee if he were to move in the near future.

Fernandez is Chelsea’s record signing and the fifth most expensive footballer in the history of the sport. The Blues spent a reported £106.8 million to sign him from Benfica and will surely be reluctant to let him leave London without recouping a very significant chunk of that outlay.

He has started 19 of Chelsea’s 21 Premier League matches in 2025-26 and is expected to add another when the Blues take on Brentford on Saturday.