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Xabi Alonso says he expects Enzo Fernandez to be involved against Luton despite Manchester City’s continued interest in the Chelsea midfielder.
It is widely expected that Man City will make a bid for Chelsea before the transfer window closes on September 1.
Fernandez was booed by some Chelsea fans but cheered by others as he appeared as a substitute in their 3-2 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday.
Fernandez has made no secret of his desire to leave Chelsea but continues to train as normal with the club.
Alonso was asked whether he expects the Argentine to play against Luton in the Carabao Cup second round at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
“Yes, so we expect that he's involved,” Alonso said.
“He has trained, he's training really well, he's a good professional and he will be involved.”
City remain interested in Fernandez, which is led by their head coach Enzo Maresca who coached Fernandez while he was in charge at Chelsea.
Asked whether he would like to keep Fernandez, Alonso said: “We want to have the best team possible. We know his qualities. He has shown it and we have to wait, but we will think about tomorrow and let's see how things develop.”
Alonso would not be drawn on whether selling Fernandez will only happen if a suitable understudy comes in.
“It is always about understanding the context, the situation, timings, circumstances, so there is not a defined rule for everything,” the Spaniard said.
“You need to know how things have worked, what you want, what you want for the future, so I don't have the rules in stone. We need to assess each situation.”
