Fernandez on Real Madrid shortlist as Spanish giants draw up summer midfield plans

Real Madrid have added Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández to their summer midfield shortlist and will pursue either the Argentine or Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton should they fail to prise Rodri away from Manchester City, according to reports in Spain.

Mundo Deportivo says the 25-year-old World Cup winner has emerged as a leading alternative to the City anchor, with Los Blancos acknowledging that it will take a bid of around £50 million to convince the Premier League champions to part with the 29-year-old Spain international.

Fernández, who joined Chelsea in a British-record deal in January 2023, is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2031, meaning Madrid would need to negotiate with the west-London club and likely trigger a sizeable outlay to secure his signature. Wharton, the 22-year-old England hopeful, is viewed as a younger, home-grown option should Madrid decide to refresh their engine room with a domestic-talent slant.

Elsewhere, Juventus are monitoring Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte during the international window and could launch a summer swoop for the 24-year-old Uruguayan, Gazzetta reports, while Newcastle have received encouraging news in their fight to retain Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, with Serie A sides expected to be priced out of a move.

Newcastle are also close to wrapping up a deal in principle for 16-year-old Ecuadorian winger Johan Martínez from Independiente del Valle, Fabrizio Romano says, and have stalled on new-contract talks with England defender Tino Livramento, opening the door to a potential exit for the 23-year-old.

Manchester City defender Nathan Aké, 31, is being linked with a return to former club Chelsea, while Barcelona’s Ferran Torres has attracted interest from both Manchester United and Arsenal. Chelsea and Liverpool are frontrunners for Monaco’s 22-year-old Senegalese midfielder Lamine Camara, and Bayern Munich will rival Liverpool for Crystal Palace’s French defender Maxence Lacroix. Barcelona have set Atletico Madrid’s Julián Álvarez as their primary attacking target, and Bologna are weighing up a summer approach for Nottingham Forest’s loan striker Lorenzo Lucca.