Enzo Maresca Faces Transfer Deadline Challenge with Manchester City

Enzo Maresca is braced for a frantic finish to the transfer window, but one major deal is already off the table: Manchester City will not meet Chelsea’s 5pm Friday deadline for Enzo Fernández.

The new City head coach, preparing for his first serious test in charge in Sunday’s Community Shield against Arsenal in Cardiff, is still some way from knowing exactly what his squad will look like when the real business starts. The club are close to landing 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, a move that fits their long-term planning. Fernández, who worked under Maresca at Chelsea and remains a serious target, would be a headline signing – but at £120m, and with Chelsea imposing a strict cut-off, the timing is wrong.

“Not today to be honest, I don’t think we’re going to do something today,” Maresca said when asked about business before the deadline. His priorities are elsewhere.

“For sure there are things we need to do, how many I don’t know, can be one can be two depends also if players want to leave so we can see. It’s 48 hours for the final, my first final in this club, I would like to win my first trophy, so my focus isn’t on players that can leave or players that can arrive, my focus is on the game.”

While Maresca talks about focus, the market swirls around him.

City have already knocked back two bids from Barcelona for Rodri and are braced for a third. The midfielder, who has just one year left on his contract, returned to the training ground on Friday after his post-World Cup holiday. His situation looms over City’s midfield planning, but Maresca chose not to be drawn into a public debate on his future.

“The transfer window is open, we can buy players, we can sell players, anything can happen,” he said. “I just saw Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug, he looks good, so we’ll see what happens.”

One departure is far more advanced. Tijjani Reijnders is set to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah after the clubs agreed a £51m fee. The Dutchman arrived from Milan last summer but has pushed for a move in search of more regular minutes, a familiar tension in an elite squad where competition is relentless.

“They all work every day, they all do sessions every day and at the end of the week they all want to play a game,” Maresca said. “When they don’t play, they struggle to understand or they struggle to see the reason why and I can understand that after one season some of them would like to play a little bit more. It’s a normal situation.”

James Trafford has already left for Leeds, a first notable exit of the Maresca era. Omar Marmoush, Rico Lewis and Savinho, who all spent much of Pep Guardiola’s final season on the fringes, are among those who could follow him out if the right offers arrive.

So Maresca walks into his first final with a squad in motion: big clubs circling Rodri, Chelsea drawing a hard line over Fernández, and City reshaping the edges of a title-winning group. The trophy on Sunday is the immediate prize. The real battle, though, may be keeping this team both stable and hungry while the market keeps knocking at the door.