Chelsea have set a hard deadline for any suitors interested in signing Enzo Fernandez this summer.

The Argentina international has attracted interested parties in this transfer window, with Real Madrid and Manchester City both linked with moves for the star.

Now, in a bid to end the long-running saga, understands that the Blues have set a deadline of Friday at 5pm BST for any interested clubs to cough up their £120million asking price for the 25-year-old.

reported earlier this summer that Chelsea had placed a £120m price tag on Fernandez’s head, and no official approaches have been made for the midfielder as of yet.

That could change by Friday, however, with City still interested in the player despite landing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a (then) British transfer record of £116million, and Enzo Maresca’s side remain in talks with Lille over a deal to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Moroccan, who starred at the recent World Cup, while Fernandez himself was sent off in Argentina’s 1-0 defeat by Spain in the final.

City could well part with the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who has attracted interest from Barcelona, and Fabrizio Romano reported that the La Liga outfit submitted a bid worth €60m on Tuesday, although the Premier League club are thought to want more.

Chelsea, meanwhile, preparing for Xabi Alonso’s first season in charge, eclipsed City’s record move for Anderson by signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117m, and they most recently announced the arrival of Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano to add competition on the left side of defence following Marc Cucurella’s departure for Real Madrid.

The Blues have also signed Danny Welbeck from Brighton, Jordan Henderson from Sunderland, Marco Palestra from Atalanta and Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace, while Geovany Quenda, Valentin Barco, Emmanuel Emegha and Dastan Satpaev all completed previously-agreed switches to Stamford Bridge.