Chelsea have reportedly submitted a new official bid to sign SL Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez this January, as per the Italian outlet Calciomercatoweb.
The 22-year-old joined the Eagles last summer from River Plate for a fee of around £8m. The youngster took no time to settle down in his new surroundings and straightaway showcased his best in Liga Portugal. Following an impressive start to his life in the Portuguese capital, Fernandez was handed a call-up to the Argentine national team squad for the Qatar World Cup.
The midfielder was instrumental at the tournament, helping his nation to lift the World Cup after 36 years. And following a successful time in Qatar, the youngster has attracted the attention of many big clubs around Europe, with Chelsea leading the chase for his signature.
Benfica made it clear that they don’t want to sell their star man this winter. And he would only be allowed to leave if his potential suitors trigger his release clause of €120m (£106m). Chelsea are the only club that have shown a concrete interest in signing him despite knowing his huge valuation.
Graham Potter’s side opened talks with the Eagles over a potential deal earlier this month and the player was reportedly prepared to move to Stamford Bridge. However, the west London club weren’t willing to match Schmidt’s side’s valuation and as a consequence of that, they couldn’t find an agreement with the Portuguese giants.
Fernandez to Chelsea
However, it has recently been reported that Chelsea have reignited their interest in signing Fernandez and they are keen on securing his signature before the window slams shut next week.
According to the report by Calciomercatoweb, Chelsea are looking to use all of their financial resources to strengthen the squad over the coming months in order to compete at the highest level.
The report also says that Potter’s side have identified Fernandez as their top target to bolster the midfield and have submitted a new bid of around €100m (£88m) plus Hakim Ziyech in part-exchange to lure the Argentine to Stamford Bridge this month.
Fernandez is one of the hottest prospects in world football and acquiring the youngster’s service this month would be a shrewd piece of business by the Blues if they can get this deal over the line. However, we’ll have to wait and see how Benfica respond to Chelsea’s latest proposal.
