Deadline Dread: Man City's Enzo Fernández Move Hitting Chelsea's £120M Wall

The clock is ticking at Stamford Bridge, and Manchester City might be about to miss it. According to Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, the sky blues are unlikely to make the Friday 5 p.m. UK deadline to land Argentina's World Cup winner Enzo Fernández.

£120 Million Brick Wall

Chelsea have made it crystal clear: come up with £120 million ($161.8m) before the cut-off or get lost. Sources told ESPN that City are among the clubs sniffing around, but the Blues are refusing to extend the window even a minute past the deadline.

Maresca Plays It Cool

When asked about the saga on Friday, Maresca gave the classic "no comment" with extra steps. "I don't think it's correct to speak about players from another club. At the same time, I don't think it's correct when other clubs speak about our players. That's why I'm not going to do it."

Then, when pressed if City would get any deal over the line that day, he dropped the hammer: "Not today, to be honest. I don't think we are going to do something today."

So there it is — a potential blockbuster signing hitting a brick wall. City have the cash, but Chelsea have the leverage. And right now, the only winner appears to be the deadline itself.

Information from ESPN's James Olley was used in this report.