Javier Pastore has put Enzo Fernández and Real Madrid in the same sentence, but the concrete part of the story is still a lack of movement. Pastore said Madrid like Enzo and Enzo likes Madrid. Real Madrid then released an official statement denying any effort, direct or indirect, to sign him, while Fabrizio Romano said there have been zero contacts with Chelsea so far.
Pastore's comments and Madrid's denial
Pastore's line is simple enough to understand. He told managingmadrid.com: "Yeah, Real Madrid's been rumored. Real Madrid likes the best players, and Enzo has been one of the best players this year. He's a player Real Madrid likes, and he likes Real Madrid, just like he likes other clubs that are out there. Now we have to wait a little bit."
Romano's version is much less romantic. Speaking to football365.com, he said Real Madrid currently consider Enzo to be just one of five midfield options and that "there have been zero contacts with Chelsea so far." He added that club-to-club discussions have not even started.
That is why the Madrid denial carries so much weight here. If there are no contacts, and the club has publicly denied any effort to sign him, the story is still at the speculation stage. The noise is real. The deal is not.
Chelsea's price and Madrid's wider shortlist
Chelsea's reported £120million asking price is part of the backdrop, and it helps explain why this has not turned into a fast-moving chase. Chelsea sources also said there was never any active intention to sell Fernández and that the club still rate the 25-year-old very highly.
There is also the fact that Madrid are not treating Enzo as their only midfield answer. Romano's five-option frame, along with the names around that conversation, suggests they are weighing several routes rather than pushing one target to the front of the queue. Ayyoub Bouaddi and João Neves are among the players being discussed in that wider group.
Madrid finished 2nd in La Liga and their last five league results were WWWLW, which does not scream urgency. Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League, so it is easy to see why exit talk keeps circling their major names. But on this one, the available evidence still points to a file that has not opened properly yet.
Enzo can keep getting linked with Madrid, and Pastore has now given that chatter a fresh push. Until the clubs actually speak, and Madrid move beyond a public denial, it remains a transfer story waiting for its first real step.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →