Enzo Fernandez enjoyed an impressive Chelsea debut. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Chelsea are making progress toward signing Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez, and they are eager to accommodate the Argentine’s release clause.
The talks are going smoothly (h/t ESPN), and the Blues want to sign the player before the transfer deadline. The club offered €100 million plus bonuses for the 22-year-old.
Chelsea are confident about signing the Benfica midfielder and believe the deal will be executed as soon as an agreement is reached. Fernandez has also consented to personal terms with Chelsea, so the player has made his choice.
Previously, Benfica manager Roger Schmidt accused Chelsea of pretending to pay Fernandez’s buyout clause during their pursuit of the Argentine, and the manager stated that the deal was closed between the two clubs.
However, Chelsea have restarted talks with Benfica and are pressing for a deal to sign the 22-year-old, with Chelsea closing in on a £115 million fee for the former River Plate player.
If Chelsea signs Fernandez, they will break the British transfer record, surpassing Manchester City’s £100 million purchase of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old’s stock has soared since his World Cup achievement, which earned him the title of ‘Young Player of the Tournament’. He joined Benfica from River Plate for $10 million and has four goals in 29 games for the Primeira Liga club.
Fernandez’s inclusion in Chelsea’s midfield will be a significant boost for the club as it looks to shore up the area following incompetency from the middle of the field this season.
The former River Plate player can energise their midfield with his intelligence. As Fernandez tends to sit deep in midfield and looks to break the opposition’s break, he also handles the pace of the game and wins back possession with his assertive pressing, which Chelsea have lacked in midfield this season.
The winner of the 2022 World Cup can also play as an attacking midfielder because of his tremendous passing range, superb vision, and high degree of accuracy.
He has incredible dribbling skills in confined situations. And Chelsea truly needs a player of this calibre to reinvigorate their midfield.
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