Chelsea’s pursuit of Enzo Fernandez has ended, as Benfica has maintained their release clause demand.
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It appears that Chelsea may not be able to complete a January transfer for Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, despite his desire to leave Benfica.
The Portuguese team is insisting on the full £105 million ($140 million) release clause in order to sell Fernandez, who has expressed interest in joining Chelsea. The London club has been in talks with Benfica over the transfer, but no agreement has been reached thus far.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is eager to add Fernandez to the team in light of concerns over the contracts of midfielders Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, the latter of whom has been out with injury since August.
It seems that the Blues may need to pay a large fee upfront in order to secure the 21-year-old, who was a standout performer at the World Cup and won the tournament’s Young Player Award.
Reports indicate that Fernandez’s potential move to the Premier League has fallen through, with Benfica refusing to budge on the full release clause.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have not scheduled any further meetings with Benfica after talks over a deal structured with three instalment payments reportedly collapsed.
Enzo Fernández deal. As things stand, Chelsea & Benfica have not scheduled new meeting after talks collapsed 🚨🇦🇷 #CFC
Rui Costa always said: €120m [clause] or no way. Chelsea verbally discussed that with Benfica then official bid was €85m. No deal.
🎥 https://t.co/a58uN3CYyC pic.twitter.com/5NuEZDoECZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 5, 2023
The Blues are said to have made an official bid of £75 million for Fernandez, well below the full release clause. This may prompt Boehly to consider other transfer targets, such as Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, who is valued at a similar fee and is the same age as Fernandez.
In addition to reinforcing the midfield, Chelsea is also looking to add a new striker, center-back, and right wing-back to the squad before the close of the January transfer window.
Benoit Badiashile is expected to finalize a move to Stamford Bridge this week after completing a medical and agreeing to a £33 million transfer from Monaco. As he searches for the right players to bolster the team, Boehly will need to weigh the financial implications and potential fit of any transfer targets.
