Chelsea make contact about signing £17m star Enzo Fernandez described as ‘unbearable’ to play against

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Chelsea are reportedly one of the teams interested in signing a Premier League star who Enzo Fernandez described as horrible to play against.

Enzo Fernandez, 24, is a key midfielder in a very talented Chelsea squad. With two games left in the 2024/25 season, Enzo Maresca’s side are still fighting for Champions League qualification in the Premier League, and they can look forward to a Conference League final against Real Betis.

However, most fans will agree that the club still needs a few more additions in the transfer market to progress to the next level.

It’s been claimed that Chelsea are planning to make four big signings in the summer transfer window to improve. Apparently, the Blues are searching for a striker, a goalkeeper, a left-sided defender and a right-footed winger.

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Chelsea approach Emiliano Martinez

Journalist Eduardo Burgos reports via X that Chelsea are one of the clubs to make an approach about signing Aston Villa star Emiliano Martinez.

Apparently, the 32-year-old goalkeeper has a chance of leaving Villa Park in the upcoming summer transfer window.

It is explained that Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid have all approached the Argentina international. However, no club has submitted an official offer yet.

Back in December, Darren Bent suggested Emiliano Martinez as a Chelsea signing for the future.

Even though the £17m goalkeeper (BBC Sport) is still under contract until 2029, he was visibly emotional and appeared to wave goodbye to fans in Villa’s win against Tottenham last Friday in their final home match of the season.

Villa boss Unai Emery was non-committal regarding the goalkeeper’s future beyond this season. When asked about Martinez’s future after his post-match reaction against Spurs, Emery said via BBC Sport: “We will see. Of course, it is the last match here [this season], and I don’t know.”

What Enzo Fernandez previously said about Emiliano Martinez

If Martinez does end up at Stamford Bridge, he’ll already know Chelsea’s Fernandez because they share a dressing room on the international stage and won the World Cup together a few years ago.

The Villa keeper is renowned for being a giant personality on the football pitch. But according to Fernandez, he’s “unbearable” to come up against as an opposition player.

When discussing Martinez back in 2023, Fernandez said via Ole: “Dibu’s (Martinez) a good guy, we get along really well, and he’s got a beautiful sense of insanity… Now, it’s also true that if you have Dibu against you, you want to kill him because he’s unbearable.”

Chelsea are planning a full goalkeeper review in the summer to assess everyone on their books. At the moment, Martinez would probably be an upgrade on any keeper owned by the Blues.