Man City sign Enzo Fernández for £125m as Chelsea miss out on Lamine Camara after deadline

Manchester City made official on Tuesday the signing of Enzo Fernández for £125m, a fee that matches the British transfer record, after Chelsea's late move for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara fell through. The London club had identified the 22-year-old as the natural replacement for the Argentina international, but Monaco pulled out after the deadline and left Chelsea without their main target. Everton were also left short after Folarin Balogun walked away from a £40m switch.

• Manchester City pay £125m for Enzo Fernández, equalling the British record Liverpool set for Alexander Isak.
• Chelsea lose out on Lamine Camara after Monaco withdrew from an agreed £47m deal at the last moment.
• Everton sell Iliman Ndiaye for £60m and fail to sign Folarin Balogun, who changed his mind over a £40m move.
• Liverpool spend £120m on Bradley Barcola and Tottenham take Mykhailo Mudryk on loan.
• The Premier League surpasses £3.3bn in transfer fees across the summer window.

Manchester City match British transfer record with Enzo Fernández deal

The fee paid by Manchester City for Enzo Fernández places the Argentine at the top of the British transfer rankings, matching the amount Liverpool handed to Newcastle United for Alexander Isak the previous summer. The move gives Pep Guardiola's side extra presence in midfield and strengthens a squad expected to compete for major honours this season.

Chelsea had already reached an agreement with City to let the midfielder leave, but their plan to replace him collapsed. Monaco had a £47m sale in place for Lamine Camara, only to pull out in the final moments once the window had closed. The late withdrawal left the London club unable to react and without a direct successor to the Argentine.

Chelsea left without a replacement after Monaco withdraw from Camara deal

Chelsea's recruitment team had viewed the 22-year-old Monaco midfielder as the ideal successor to Enzo Fernández. With an agreement between clubs in place, the deal only needed the final sign-off, but Monaco changed course and ended the operation. The decision meant Chelsea closed the window without a specific replacement, despite moving more than thirty players in and out across the summer.

The scale of Chelsea's business was remarkable. The £117m arrival of Morgan Rogers, the £125m sale of Enzo Fernández and the signing of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez all formed part of a deep rebuild. The failed Camara deal, however, took the shine off what looked like a strong finish to the window.

Everton miss out on Balogun after selling Ndiaye to City

The window also left a bitter taste at Goodison Park. Everton sold Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City for £60m, a deal that was meant to fund the arrival of a proven striker. Folarin Balogun had an agreement in place to move from Monaco for £40m, but the forward had a change of heart and the transfer fell through.

That late twist left the Toffees with Jack Grealish, on loan from City, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles as their only deadline-day additions, having already sold Beto to Fiorentina. Without a clear first-choice striker, Everton start the season short in key positions and with the feeling that they lost a major asset without securing a replacement.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Sunderland complete key late moves

Liverpool wrapped up their business after investing £120m in Bradley Barcola and agreeing a deal for 18-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans to arrive next summer. Harvey Elliott, meanwhile, joined Valencia on loan. Elsewhere, Tottenham strengthened their attack with the loan signing of Mykhailo Mudryk.

Sunderland beat Crystal Palace to the £30m signing of Lyon winger Malick Fofana after a tense chase that was settled in favour of the Championship club. Palace, who had earlier lost Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Muñoz, were active late on with the additions of Honest Ahanor, Quinten Timber and Axel Disasi on loan.

Arsenal fail to land the marquee forward Arteta wanted

Arsenal ended the window without the high-profile attacking signing that Mikel Arteta had pushed for. A move for Julián Álvarez did not progress because Atlético Madrid refused to negotiate with Barcelona, leaving the Argentine forward in Spain. The departures of Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, along with Ethan Nwaneri's loan exit, left the Premier League champions lighter in the final third.

The club did add Bruno Guimaraes for £75m and Ezri Konsa for £51m, two significant pickups for midfield and defence, as well as Christos Tzolis for £34m from Club Brugge. Even so, the feeling at the Emirates is that the squad is missing the final piece in attack, the type of player who can turn tight games late in the campaign.

A Premier League window of record spending and late frustration

The Premier League closed the summer with more than £3.3bn spent on transfer fees, the highest figure in the competition's history. Despite that volume of business, several clubs ended the window with the sense that their squads were incomplete. Everton are the clearest example, but Arsenal and Chelsea also had unfinished business as the deadline passed.

Everton sold Iliman Ndiaye for £60m and expected to use part of that money on Folarin Balogun, but the forward changed his mind at the last moment and left the club without a proven striker.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, said goodbye to David Ozoh as he joined Derby County, while Brighton invested £46m in Tottenham centre-back Luka Vuskovic as a long-term addition. Bournemouth kept hold of Alex Scott despite interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, and added Portuguese centre-back Antonio Silva from Benfica for £21.4m.

Premier League deadline day questions answered