Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea are not giving up on signing Benfica midfielder before the January transfer window closes on Tuesday
Chelsea have not given up on signing Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez before the January transfer window closes on Tuesday.
Chelsea have been in talks this month to sign the Argentine, but Benfica have so far refused to do business unless The Blues pay the €120m release clause. million pounds).
Chelsea have offered players on loan and on permanent contracts, but the Portuguese side have so far refused to accept anything other than the release clause.
The 22-year-old is eager to join Chelsea, but has been training and playing since he was dropped for one match for an unauthorized trip to Argentina for a New Year’s Eve party.
Fernandez, who won the prize for best young player with winner Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, played in the 3-0 league victory at Santa Clara on Saturday.
The West London side have also been looking to sign other midfielders this month, including Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and Everton’s Amadou Onana.
Chelsea’s search for a midfielder has raised questions about the long-term futures of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante – whose contracts expire at the end of the season.
Benfica boss Roger Schmidt criticized Chelsea’s behavior in their attempt to sign Fernandez earlier this month.
For a more accessible video player, use the Chrome browser
Anton Toloui explains why Chelsea may no longer be able to sign long-term player deals as UEFA plans to make FFP changes to player contracts
“It’s disrespectful to all of us, to Benfica. They drive the player crazy. They claim they want to pay the clause and then they want to negotiate.”
The 22-year-old is in line for a hefty pay rise if he continues, but Benfica have tried to give him a new contract as they expect clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona to try to sign him this summer.
While Chelsea could afford to pay Fernandez’s £105.4 million release clause, it would affect his ability to comply with Premier League and UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.
Fernandez could sign for Chelsea on January 8
Malo Gusto has left for Chelsea, but will remain on loan at Lyon for the rest of the season
Fernandez’s latest developments come after Chelsea confirmed the signing of Lyon right-back Malo Gusto for £26.3 million on Sunday morning.
The 19-year-old will spend the remainder of the season on loan in France after signing a seven-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
His signing takes Chelsea’s January spending over £200m as the Frenchman became his seventh new signing this month.
It means Chelsea have now spent around £485 million since Todd Boehly became the club’s new owner, having spent £270 million in the summer transfer window.
These are the agreements the Blues have made:
- Benoit Badiashile -Monaco, £35 million
- David Datro Fofana – Molde, undisclosed (£10 million deal announced)
- Andrew Santos – Undisclosed Vasco da Gama (£18 million deal announced)
- Joao Felix – Atlético Madrid, loan of £9.7 million
- Mykhailo Mudryk – Shakhtar Donetsk, £88.5 million
- Noni Madueke – PSV Eindhoven, £29 million
- Malo Gusto – Lyon, £26.3 million
Follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports
Who’s moving this winter? The January transfer window ends at 11 p.m until Tuesday January 31, 2023.
Stay up to date with the latest transfer news and rumors in our dedicated Transfer Center Blog until Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also follow all ins, outs and analyzes on Sky Sports news.
Not all news on the site reflects the site’s point of view, but we automatically transmit and translate this news through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor.
