£86m World Cup star is Chelsea’s dream Fernandez replacement

Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea decided to cash in on Marc Cucurella by selling the left-back to Spanish giants Real Madrid earlier this month.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion star may not be the only player who makes the switch from Stamford Bridge to the Santiago Bernabeu before the end of the summer transfer window.

It was reported earlier this month that Enzo Fernandez has already agreed a contract with the LaLiga side and is interested in following Cucurella to Spain.

The 25-year-old central midfielder is currently at the World Cup with Argentina and speculation over his future in London may ramp up after the tournament concludes.

He is fresh off the back of scoring 15 goals and providing seven assists in 54 appearances in all competitions for the Blues in the 2025/26 campaign.

Chelsea frontrunners to sign World Cup star this summer

Whilst his goalscoring qualities were on full display last season, the Argentine star did lose 56% of his duels and 57% of his ground duels in the Premier League, showing that he struggled with the physicality of the division at times.

That, in part, is why the club should cash in on him amid this interest from Real Madrid, signing an even better midfield talent than him as a replacement. Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka has been lined up as one potential option this summer, but he’s not the only midfielder on the radar.

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea are one of a number of clubs in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund central midfielder Felix Nmecha in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Blues and Manchester United are currently the frontrunners to land the Germany international, as they have shown the strongest level of interest in him.

It adds that Newcastle United were keen on bringing him to St. James’ Park this summer, but the player was not sold on making the move to Tynecastle, essentially ending their interest in him.

TEAMtalk reveals that Dortmund are set to demand a fee in excess of £86m for the World Cup star, and it is now down to the Blues to reach an agreement with the German side for his services in the coming weeks.

Why Felix Nmecha would be better than Enzo Fernandez for Chelsea

Every team needs goals, of course, and Fernandez certainly contributed his fair share from the middle of the park with ten goals in the Premier League.

However, there is more to being a midfielder than just popping up with goals. Nmecha has far more to his all-round game than the Argentina international does, which could make him a better option for Xabi Alonso.

Their respective performances for their countries in the group stage of the World Cup illustrate the difference between the two players, as the German star offers more to the team as a complete midfielder.

Nmecha has won more duels, made more tackles, been more dominant in his duels, and offered more to the team in possession than Fernandez has for his country.

The 25-year-old star, who scored against Curacao and registered an assist against the Ivory Coast, also caught the eye whilst playing for Dortmund in the Bundesliga last term.

In the Bundesliga, Nmecha won 53% of his ground duels and 63% of his aerial duels, whilst only being dribbled past 0.4 times per game on average. Fernandez, meanwhile, won 43% of his ground duels and 50% of his aerial battles, whilst being dribbled past once per match on average in the Premier League.

These statistics suggest that the German star would be far more effective for Chelsea out of possession as opposition players find it much harder to get the better of him in physical and technical battles.

Nmecha is significantly more mobile than Fernandez, as further evidenced by a 57% dribble success rate compared to the Chelsea star’s 27% at league level, and would be more suited to playing in a double pivot in Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 system.

He may not carry the same goalscoring threat, having scored two goals in the Bundesliga, but his defensive attributes, his superior athleticism, and his ball-carrying skills would make him a more effective box-to-box midfielder for Chelsea.