Jose Mourinho has personally asked Real Madrid to sign a Premier League star after the team’s moves for Konaté, Cucurella, and Silva.
Jose Mourinho has reportedly asked Real Madrid to sign another former Premier League star, following the arrivals of Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, and Bernardo Silva.
Since starting his second spell as Real Madrid coach earlier this month, Mourinho has been clear about what he wants. After Florentino Perez was re-elected as president, Real made a £130 million offer for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, but it was quickly turned down. While that transfer story is still ongoing, Real have already signed Cucurella from Chelsea and Konate from Liverpool.
There are also strong links between Real and Inter full-back Denzel Dumfries, and Silva joined Madrid after his Manchester City contract ended. Players like Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who arrived last summer, plus former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger, add to the growing group of ex-Premier League stars at the club.
Now, according to the Spanish news outlet Marca, Mourinho has personally asked Real to go after Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. Fernandez is under contract with Chelsea until 2032 and is valued at £120 million. West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes is also a target, despite interest from Spurs and Manchester United, but signing both players seems unlikely right now.
Reports said discussions had started between Chelsea and Madrid about Fernandez, but the Daily Mail states no official talks have happened yet. Chelsea expect Real to make an offer soon, and personal terms with Fernandez are likely to be agreed.
Cucurella, who used to be Fernandez’s teammate at Chelsea, has welcomed the idea of him joining Real. “He’s a great player and a friend of mine,” Cucurella told Marca. “He congratulated me on signing. I hope it happens—I’d be very happy. We were both very happy at Chelsea, and it would be great to both join Real Madrid in the same summer. I hope he’s lucky and becomes a Real Madrid player.”
Fernandez moved to Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 for a British-record fee of £106.8 million. He has since scored 31 goals and assisted 30 times in 169 matches for the Blues.
Fernandez has also shared how much he likes Madrid, saying it reminds him of Buenos Aires, his hometown. “I really like Madrid—it’s similar to Buenos Aires,” he said in March. However, these comments caused some issues with then Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior, and Fernandez was suspended for two games.
His agent, Javier Pastore, called the punishment “completely unfair.” Pastore explained, “Enzo didn’t understand the situation. When the coach told him, he accepted the decision because he’s very professional and always committed wherever he is. But we don’t see why he was punished—he didn’t mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea. He only said Madrid because he was asked which European city he’d like to live in one day. He said Madrid because of the language, culture, weather, and because it’s natural for an Argentine to say that. At no point did he say he wants to leave Chelsea or London.”