JANUARY BLUES

TWO European giants are prepared to make an audacious swoop for Enzo Fernandez – whose future at Chelsea is growing increasingly unclear.

The Argentine was a shock ommission from the Londoners lineup for their weekend clash against Manchester United.

Manager Enzo Maresca opted for Moises Caicdeo and Romeo Lavia instead saying he prefers their physicality.

But the snub leaves a huge question mark over Fernandez’s future at the club.

SunSport understands the midfielder is determined to fight for his place at Chelsea.

But a source said he has no intention of sitting on the bench for months on end if he falls down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

And Inter Milan and Barcelona – two of Europe’s biggest clubs – are now both monitoring the situation.

The midfielder has copped flak ever since Chelsea signed him from Benfica for a British record £107million in 2023.

TalkSPORT host Rory Jennings claimed recently that he should “never play for Chelsea again” and that he is potentially the “worst” signing in Premier League history.

But Maresca has publicly spoken about the sympathy he has for Fernandez’s struggles to live up to his price tag, not least given the turmoil in his personal life.

Fernandez, 23, recently split from his childhood sweetheart Valentina Cervantes to live on his own – despite them having a daughter and son together.

Maresca said ahead of Chelsea’s clash with United: “They are human beings and if you pay £100m that is not my problem.

“You want to buy me then you pay that money.

“That does not mean that every game you have to be the best.

“At the end of the day they are football players and they cannot always be at the top level.

“At this moment Enzo is not playing but there is no problem with Enzo.

“The noise about Enzo is because clubs pay so much money for them, people expect they will always be the best. That is not so.

“The only reason he is not playing is just because the physicality I prefer is from (Moises) Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.” – Sun

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