New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso was unveiled at Stamford Bridge on Monday and said he wants to keep Enzo Fernandez at the club.
The 25-year-old Argentina midfielder, who is preparing to face England in the World Cup semi-finals, is open to leaving and was recently linked with Real Madrid.
However, the Spanish club denied pursuing a move for Fernandez last week, leaving him with no known alternative destination and a sizeable £120m asking price.
Alonso replied “yes” when asked whether he wanted to keep Fernandez, adding: “We have spoken. But, as you can understand, what we said will remain private.”
It was part of his first wide-ranging news conference since taking charge of Chelsea following his departure from Real Madrid in January. He also said striker Nicolas Jackson will return to the squad for at least the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and Asia after Bayern Munich decided against making his loan move permanent.
“Nico Jackson is joining the tour in Asia and we are looking forward to him working with us,” said Alonso.
In addition, winger Alejandro Garnacho has not returned to training under Alonso, who began his role last Thursday.
Alonso said there is an agreement for Garnacho to stay away from the first-team squad while he seeks a move, with Italian club Roma among those interested.
“There is interest in him from other clubs. Hopefully it finishes in the best possible way for everyone,” he added.
Alonso said he is targeting qualifying for Europe in his first season and thanked the sporting directors and owners for choosing him to be part of the club.
He continued: “I want to enjoy it, be part of this club and work with the sporting directors. It is a club with great potential. We need to make the right decisions, but we have a strong base to build on. We need to build on this foundation to be successful on the pitch.”
