Benfica have become accustomed to losing their most-prized assets to Europe's biggest clubs over the last few years with Joao Felix, Darwin Nunez and Ruben Dias all leaving for over €70million (£61.9million). And ahead of the January transfer window, Enzo Fernandez is set to be the next up-and-coming star to leave.
football.london understands that Chelsea have informed the Portuguese side they are prepared to break their transfer record - £97.5m for Romelu Lukaku 14 months ago - to secure the signing of the World Cup winner. Fernandez only joined As Águias in the summer from River Plate and has established himself as one of the world's standout wonderkids.
It's understood that Todd Boehly is willing to match the £105m release clause in the 21-year-old's contract. However, the Blues face the stumbling block of agreeing on the structure of the deal, with Chelsea keen to pay the figure in instalments rather than a one-off sum.
