Chelsea now 'rushing' to sign £51m star in last hours of window as Xabi Alonso switches key target

Chelsea are now 'rushing in' to sign a £43 million-rated replacement for Enzo Fernandez in the closing hours of the summer transfer window.

The transfer deadline is at 11pm on Tuesday, with teams desperately trying to complete their final pieces of business in the hours that remain.

Chelsea managed to complete most of their incoming signings before the start of the Premier League season, with Morgan Rogers' £117 million move from Aston Villa agreed during the latter stages of the World Cup before he signed his contract upon returning to England.

Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck have both added valuable experience to a young squad, while Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix signed at the end of July.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was brought in on a permanent deal from Aston Villa last week and was registered in time to make his Blues debut in their 4-3 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.

But Chelsea's incoming business may not necessarily be done there.

The future of Blues midfielder Enzo Fernandez is still up in the air, with Manchester City interested in signing him before the transfer deadline.

Chelsea set a self-imposed deadline for interested clubs to sign him for £120 million earlier in August, but no bid was forthcoming.

Fernandez, who committed to an eight-and-a-half year contract when he signed for Chelsea that still has five years left to run, was left out of the squad for the Blues' win over Brighton.

But Fabrizio Romano reports that, as of Monday morning, Chelsea had not received an offer for the midfielder and it remains to be seen whether Manchester City believe he is worth the asking price.

However, the Blues are said to have located a replacement for Fernandez if the City deal progresses on deadline day.

Chelsea identify new 'top priority' hours before deadline

According to Foot Mercato's Santi Aouna, Roma and France midfielder Manu Kone is Chelsea's 'top priority' to replace Fernandez.

It is reported that Roma's asking price is between €51-€60 million (around £43-51m) to sell the 25-year-old, who played for France at this summer's World Cup.

The report adds that Chelsea have opened 'preliminary' discussions over the signing of Kone, though those discussions have not reached an advanced stage as yet.

Manu Kone signed permanently for Roma last year following a loan spell (Image: Getty)

The Blues were previously linked with moves for Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton but neither club wants to sell.

READ MORE: Club reject three Chelsea bids for Xabi Alonso's top Enzo Fernandez replacement

Kone is contracted to Roma until June 2029 and the Serie A giants are said to prefer to keep him as the transfer deadline approaches.

Roma were willing to sell him more easily at the end of July, according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, as they gave interested parties a deadline of July 31 to agree a deal in order for the club to fulfil a UEFA financial agreement.

One of the clubs named at that point in time was Manchester United, though Michael Carrick's side have since moved to bring in Carlos Baleba from Brighton for £70 million.

United's primary focus is now on signing a new left-back, with Alejandro Balde, Jorge Salinas and Ian Maatsen among the names linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent days.

A deal for Balde, however, may not be possible, with reports from Spain claiming that Barcelona are considering whether to include him in a potential swap deal for Inter Milan left-back Federico Dimarco.