Wantaway midfielder Enzo Fernandez remains a target for Manchester City ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

Xabi Alonso has indicated that Enzo Fernandez has lost “the desire” to play for Chelsea.

Fernandez was again absent for Chelsea as they beat Luton 2-0 in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Thursday night, after also missing the squad for the Premier League victory over Fulham three days earlier.

The Argentina midfielder is again expected to miss Sunday’s match against Brighton.

Fernandez is attracting interest from Manchester City, who are expected to test Chelsea’s stance with a formal offer before Tuesday’s summer transfer deadline.

Sources at Chelsea insisted late on Thursday night that club-to-club discussions had not yet taken place, although any bid would be considered if it matched the club’s valuation, which is expected to be more than £120million.

Alonso confirmed that Fernandez’s absence on Wednesday was “a decision I took”, while the tie against lower-league opponents also created chances for fringe players to get minutes on the pitch.

“I have said we need the players that are in the best situation to play,” Alonso said when he was asked about Fernandez.

“We need to take everything into consideration — players that are in a good moment, players that are not feeling that energy to play.

“For me, it is very important that they feel this desire to play and to have good preparation.”

When asked whether Fernandez has lost the desire to play, Alonso replied: “We talked, and we decided for [Luton] it was better not to be part of the squad. He is a top player.”

With Nicolas Jackson leaving for Aston Villa and Liam Delap already having joined Nottingham Forest, Alonso was also asked how satisfied he was with the squad going into the final days of the transfer window.

“We are quite close to the plan we had,” he said. “We will see where we finish, if it is fully executed or there are things still to be done or things we couldn’t do.”