Manchester City have been given a lifeline to sell an underperforming player, after defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion made it three losses in four.

The Citizens started their campaign with seven straight wins in the Premier League under new manager Enzo Maresca, but the last two weeks have brought Manchester City back down to earth, with champions Arsenal replacing them at the top of the league over the weekend.

Despite heavy investment over the summer, there are several questions over Maresca's best XI – and now, City could be offered an option to offload one of their bigger signings in the coming months.

Real Madrid want Manchester City star - giving the club an easy out

Over the past three seasons, City have invested over a billion pounds in their playing squad, buying the likes of Ayyoub Bouaddi, Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson over the summer transfer window of 2026, for a combined £300 million.

Despite the Premier League's charges hanging over the club, it's business as usual for the transfer team – but now, one of the club's biggest-ever signings could be offered an exit route after a disappointing start to his City career.

According to Fichajes and Bernabeu Digital, Real Madrid still have an interest in Enzo Fernandez – despite the Argentine becoming City's all-time record signing over the summer for a fee worth around £125m.

Los Blancos are monitoring City's charges, and although they're linked with Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool, historic interest in his Argentina colleague hasn't died down.

Fernandez was a nine-figure move for Chelsea in January 2023 after his breakout performances for Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, finding some of his best form under Maresca: but despite City buying both Anderson and Bouaddi over the summer – and having the likes of Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden as options at No.10 – City smashed their transfer record for the star to reunite the two Enzos in another blockbuster transfer.

The midfielder hasn't set the world alight so far at the Etihad Stadium, however, with Erling Haaland visibly frustrated with his team-mate on Saturday after he failed to win a single duel in the defeat to Brighton.

Fernandez ranks in the 66th percentile for duel-winning this season, as per Gradient Sports – and when Anderson plays alongside the 25-year-old in a double-pivot, the England international is left with much of the dirty work.

While FourFourTwo understands that City are committed to Fernandez and wouldn't have broken their transfer record for the Argentine unless they were convinced of his abilities, Fernandez's role at the club is closely linked to manager Enzo Maresca's.

Should City suffer this season and Maresca leave the club, that would place Fernandez's future on shakier ground – and with a wealth of options in City's midfield, it's not inconceivable that City would listen to offers for the star next summer: whether they have been relegated from the Premier League or not.

Fernandez is worth €120m, according to Transfermarkt. Manchester City travel to RB Leipzig as Champions League action continues this week.