Chelsea braced for £100m Man City bid for Enzo Fernandez... but manager Xabi Alonso insists star will play in League Cup clash with League One Luton

Xabi Alonso says Enzo Fernandez will be involved against Luton Town in the Carabao Cup on Thursday despite Chelsea being braced for a bid from Manchester City.

City are said to be preparing an opening offer worth £100million for the 25-year-old Argentinian. If so, it is likely to be turned down after those inside Stamford Bridge insisted all summer that their valuation is at least £120m. The summer window closes on September 1.

Alonso is set to take charge of his first competitive fixture at Stamford Bridge, and when asked whether Fernandez was available, the Blues boss said: ‘Yes, so we expect that he's involved.

‘He’s trained, he's training really well, he's a good professional and he will be involved.’

When pressed on whether he wants Fernandez to remain a Chelsea player after this window, Alonso added: ‘We want to have the best team possible. We know his qualities. He has shown it. We have to wait, but we will think about tomorrow and let's see how things develop.’

Enzo Fernandez came off the bench in Chelsea's 3-2 win over Fulham on Monday

If Chelsea allowed Fernandez to leave for City, they would risk strengthening a rival while weakening their own side. They would need to reinvest any money in a replacement. Bournemouth's Alex Scott, Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace are among those could be candidates.

‘We assess the whole squad as a unit and in that squad, we want good balance in terms of quality, in terms of positions, in terms of personalities, so we are aware of everything and we are prepared for whatever,’ Alonso said.

Pedro Neto has also been linked away this summer, though Chelsea have valued their winger at close to £100m. He was used as a right wing back in their 3-2 Premier League win away at Fulham after replacing Malo Gusto as a 76th-minute substitute.

‘Wing-back, winger, you can call it whatever you want, but the main thing is the quality of the players, that they adjust and that we have balance with the players around,’ Alonso said.

‘That makes sense. That makes the team better. That’s always my main focus, that the team is better with the qualities and knowing the best quality of each individual player. We want to have the best possible squad and let's see what happens.’

Meanwhile, both Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra will not be available to face League One club Luton after setbacks. Alonso said Caicedo may return in time for Brighton in the Premier League this Sunday. Cole Palmer is fit and fine despite asking to be substituting in their win at Fulham.