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Chelsea agree British record £115m deal with Benfica for Enzo Fernandez.
According to reports, Chelsea have agreed a British record deal worth £115m with Benfica for Enzo Fernandez.
This January, Fernandez was one of Chelsea’s top transfer priorities, but up until now, their attempts to recruit the World Cup champion have been unsuccessful.
After negotiations stopped earlier in the window, as reported last week that Benfica was expecting Chelsea to make a fresh offer. The Blues did indeed return to the bargaining table over the weekend.
Early on Monday, there was optimism that a deal was close to being finalized, with co-owner Behdad Eghbali and transfer director Paul Winstanley leading the effort. Both men were instrumental in luring Mykhailo Mudryk away from Shakhtar Donetsk.
And according to reports, an arrangement was reached after those discussions, with Chelsea promising to pay more than Fernandez’s £105 million release clause so that Benfica would take payment in instalments.
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Rui Costa merely needs to give his approval to the transfer after openly stating on numerous occasions that 22-year-old Fernandez wouldn’t leave Benfica unless it was on the conditions of the Portuguese powerhouses.
Once all payments have been made to Benfica, the transfer might end up costing Chelsea a British record-breaking £115 million, surpassing the £100 million Manchester City spent Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in the summer of 2021.
There is still time for the deal to be completed before the winter transfer window closes on Tuesday night, even if Fernandez skipped training with Benfica on Monday. Personal conditions had long been agreed upon with Fernandez.
Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are two players who could now be moved on by the club’s hierarchy amid a flurry of Premier League interest as a result of the breakthrough in negotiations.