Xabi Alonso has confirmed he wants Enzo Fernandez to remain at Chelsea, speaking at his official unveiling on Monday.
The Argentina midfielder is open to leaving Stamford Bridge and has been linked with Real Madrid, though the Spanish club publicly denied any interest last week.
Alonso answered “yes” when asked directly whether he wanted to keep the 25-year-old. “We have spoken,” he added. “But, as you can understand, what we said will remain private.”
Fernandez carries an asking price of around £120m and now has no known alternative destination. He is currently preparing to face England in the World Cup semi-finals.
Alonso wants Enzo Fernandez to stay at Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson will return to the squad after Bayern Munich declined to make his loan permanent.
“Nico Jackson is joining the tour in Asia and we are looking forward to him working with us,” Alonso said, confirming the striker will feature on the pre-season trip to Australia and Asia.
Alejandro Garnacho has not reported for training since Alonso began work last Thursday. The winger has been permitted to stay away from the first team while he seeks a move, with Roma among the clubs interested.
Chelsea missed out on European football last season, falling short with a final-day defeat by Sunderland. Alonso played down the impact on his planning.
“It changed the small details for sure, but the main focus about how we want to start the competition in August, it doesn’t change much,” he said.
“We are aligned with the sporting directors on what we want to reach. The team is good and where we want to reinforce in terms of positions is clear.”
Midfielder Andrey Santos completed his £50m move to Manchester United an hour before the press conference began.
