Reports: Chelsea pushing for Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez
The Enzo Fernandez saga – arguably one of the most compelling stories this transfer window – is set to experience its latest twist as Chelsea prepare to raid Benfica for the midfielder’s prized signature once again.
Latest reports from Portugal and transfer experts have emerged, claiming that Chelsea are poised to tempt the Portuguese giants with an offer that meets the asking price.
Benfica, staunch in their stance of keeping their World Cup-winning asset until the end of the season, have slapped a staggering €120m price tag on his services.
The Blues had a bid rejected earlier, and with less than 48 hours to go for the curtains to close in the January window, Todd Boehly and co. are on a relentless mission to convince all involved parties.
They had also offered players on loans and permanent deals during the negotiations.
Having starred in the World Cup for Argentina, Fernandez’s stocks rose to almost unprecedented values for a midfielder. While other clubs who were interested in the idea of acquiring the prodigious talent were thrown off by the asking price, Chelsea are back to flex their financial muscles once again despite having splashed the cash already over the last four weeks.
The latest reports also state that Fernandez is open to making the big switch, as personal terms have been agreed for a contract until 2030. The deal also reportedly would see the 22-year-old pocket wages worth €10M/year excluding bonuses.
It looked like Chelsea had backpaddled for a while, but they’re leading the race as of now.
According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, the entire recruitment team at Chelsea, alongside the owners, are ready to give it their all in the next few hours to persuade the agent Jorge Mendes as well as Benfica.
Mendes is now tasked with finding a route for the transfer to work out. As far as Benfica are concerned, they would prefer the entered sum paid immediately, at once.
The decision predominantly rests in the hands of president Rui Costa. He has stood firm against the storm so far, however, nothing can be predicted in the calculus of the ongoing transfer window and Chelsea’s adventures.
Earlier in January, Benfica manager Roger Schmidt had indirectly aimed a jibe at Chelsea, for distracting Fernandez. He had argued “There is a club that wants him, they tried to attract him, but they know that they can only have him if they pay the clause. It’s disrespectful to all of us, to Benfica. They’re driving the player crazy. They pretend they want to pay the clause and then they want to negotiate.”
Chelsea have bolstered almost all areas of the pitch except central midfield. With Jorginho’s contract talks stalling and N’Golo Kante’s future hanging by a thread, one can understand the urgency for new investments.
The Blues will only feature on the pitch after the completion of the transfer window, against Fulham. Will Enzo Fernandez be a Chelsea player by then?
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Tasnim News Agency. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.