Chelsea did the ‘groundwork’ to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez before Christmas, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
Graham Potter is looking at bringing in a new young option in the middle of the park, with both N’Golo Kante’s and Jorginho’s contracts expiring at the end of the season, as per Transfermarkt.
Chelsea Transfer News – Enzo Fernandez
Fernandez is a subject of interest for numerous different Premier League clubs, with 90min detailing that Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are all ready and waiting to pay what the report claims to be a £104m release clause.
However, conflicting reports suggest that the Blues have already tabled an offer to bring the Argentinian to Stamford Bridge, with Portuguese outlet Record reporting, via Zach Lowy, that a £115m bid has been launched.
While interest in the central-midfielder is high, it is currently claimed that Chelsea are ‘in the front line’ to sign him in January, and they have therefore sent representatives to Lisbon in an attempt to convince the player about the move, as per Correio da Manha. (via Sport Witness)
What has Simon Phillips said about Enzo Fernandez?
In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Phillips confirmed that Fernandez is one of the club’s main targets in the January transfer window, with a move being in the works for a while:
“Obviously, as we’ve seen over the past couple of days, Chelsea are trying to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, so he’s a big priority now for January.
“It was one that I hadn’t really been hearing much about, I’d always expected Chelsea to be interested at the very least but Chelsea have been working behind the scenes on this one since before Christmas, sources have told me that they’ve been doing the groundwork before then.“
Is Enzo Fernandez worth paying £115m for?
Hailed as a ‘top talent‘ by football writer Nizaar Kinsella, the 21-year-old has impressed considerably at Benfica despite still being at a very young age, while he also played a major role in Argentina’s World Cup triumph.
The starlet specialises as a defensive midfielder, but he has still contributed one goal and three assists in 13 league appearances so far this season, as per Transfermarkt, also continuing to display his fantastic passing range.
Over the past year, the playmaker has attempted an average of 96.83 passes per 90, placing him in the 99th percentile compared to his positional peers, a vital facet of his game when featuring in all seven matches with his national side in Qatar.
Fernandez already has experience winning on the world’s grandest stage, and while £115m is a monumental transfer bid from Chelsea, he has exhibited that he has the potential to develop into a world-beater.
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