Chelsea reward Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo as Real Madrid transfer verdict falls

Chelsea have successfully held firm in their battle to retain midfield duo Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo from Real Madrid – and now the Stamford Bridge side are prepared to reward the pair.

Both Enzo and Caicedo have been coveted by the Bernabeu side after outstanding form with the Blues.

The Argentine, in particular, was linked with a big-money switch to Los Blancos, but TeamTalk reports that Real Madrid are now following up other alternatives having been rebuffed by the Premier League giants.

New Chelsea contracts on the table

Chelsea have not been pressurised into a sale by either of their midfield stars, with both reportedly being settled at the club and not pushing for a move to Spain despite the public declarations of interest from Real Madrid.

Enzo and Caicedo are set to be rewarded for this stance, with contract talks set to be opened for both players, who they now consider to be in the ‘world-class’ bracket.

There is little urgency for Chelsea to complete these negotiations. Enzo Fernandez’s current Stamford Bridge deal does not expire until 2032, while Caicedo’s contract only runs out a year earlier. Nevertheless, BlueCo are clearly determined to keep their key players happy.

Rosenior on Enzo and Caicedo

Manager Liam Rosenior previously dismissed Real Madrid’s interest in the Argentine.

“It’s nothing to me,” he said in January. “When you’re a world-class player, an outstanding player, there’s always going to be speculation that you can’t control. He’s been outstanding in the time I’ve worked with him.

“He’s a Chelsea player. He’s very important to me. And I think we’re going to have a really, really good, hopefully winning relationship moving forward in the short term and the long term.”

He was equally full of praise for Caicedo.

Rosenior said: “In my opinion, as a defensive midfield player, I wouldn’t want to sit next to anybody else in world football. That’s what I think of Moi; he knows that as I’ve told him.

“I have a background at Brighton, so I know everything about his career. The scary thing is that yes, he is young, but he sometimes plays like he is 35 years old because his understanding of the game is top.”

Elite performers

The numbers back up the Chelsea manager’s claims.

Enzo Fernandez’s performance in the Premier League this season has been particularly impressive, according to data analytics firm SciSports.

The firm analyses hundreds of in-game statistics for each player and compiles a ranking, in which Enzo is clearly among the best performers in the league.

Enzo Fernandez vs Premier League midfielders: Overall performance (2025/26)

While Caicedo does not rank quite so highly, the 24-year-old is considered to be the fourth most valuable player in the Premier League, ranking only being Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak and Alexis Mac Allister.

Chelsea are, therefore, right to be delighted that Real Madrid have finally backed off.

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