Spanish manager Xabi Alonso, Chelsea's new head coach, has said he spoke with Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández amid the uncertainty that surrounded the player's future in recent months.
Alonso joined Chelsea in May and officially took charge on 1 July, before holding his first press conference at Stamford Bridge. Fernández was handed an internal two-match ban in April after saying in a podcast that he wanted to live in the Spanish capital Madrid. Real Madrid denied interest in signing the Argentine player this month.
Responding to a question about whether he wanted Fernández to stay, Alonso said: "Yes." He added: "We have spoken, but as you know, what we discussed remains private." Fernández is currently at the FIFA World Cup, where he is preparing with the Argentina squad to face England in the semi-final on Wednesday in Atlanta. He is one of four Chelsea players still participating in the tournament, along with England duo Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah, and Frenchman Malo Gusto.
Chelsea finished last season in 10th place in the Premier League, having dropped from the 4th-place finish they achieved the season before. Alonso said qualifying for one of the European competitions is among his goals with the club.
The former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid manager said: "That is definitely a goal, but to achieve that goal you have to do many things right, and be part of the process — how we want to play, how we want to see ourselves, how we want to play every game we are involved in." He added: "That is my mission with the team and I look forward to meeting the whole squad. We have great ambition and we have to share that energy at Chelsea, along with the desire to achieve success."