Liverpool have turned to the Portuguese market on a handful of occasions in recent years when looking to add to Jurgen Klopp's squad.
Luis Diaz joined the Reds from Porto in January while Darwin Nunez was signed from Benfica in the summer in what could eventually become a record transfer for the club. Diogo Jota, although brought in from Wolves, is a Portuguese international and learned his trade in his homeland, which included a season at Porto on loan.
The latest name to emerge from the Premeira Liga is midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who joined Benfica from Argentinian giants River Plate for an initial €10m in the summer. The 21-year-old is a product of River Plate's academy, having joined the club in 2006, and he made 53 appearances for their first team, scoring 12 goals and registering 10 assists before he was inevitably snapped up by a European club.
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Benfica weren't the only club battling for Fernandez's signature with Premier League side Wolves, as well as Juventus, also reportedly in the mix. Sky Sports' Melissa Reddy also revealed that Liverpool have kept a 'watching brief' on the player. But given Fernandez's superb performances for Argentina at the World Cup, which concludes today when his side take on France in the final, it appears that the Reds' interest has ramped up, with it recently being claimed in Portugal that they have an 'agreement' with Benfica in place for his transfer.
Fernandez has been a fixture in the Argentina side in Qatar since coming off the bench to score a superb goal - his first for his country - in the vital 2-0 group stage victory over Mexico. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised given he arrived at the World Cup in excellent form.
The all-round midfielder has already made 21 appearances for his new club and has scored three goals in all competitions. He found the back of the net in both of Benfica's Champions League qualifying matches against FC Midtjylland, as well as in their league opener against Arouca.
Fernandez was named August's player of the month in Portugal after his flying start to the campaign and that aided his cause to make a successful late push for a place in Lionel Scaloni's World Cup squad. His reputation has skyrocketed in Qatar but speaking earlier this season, Benfica boss Roger Schmidt said he expected the rising star to remain at his current club for "some time". He told Record : "No, I’m not afraid. He feels good here, it’s the perfect place to develop.
“He’s a great player, a great person, he’s focused, professional and knows what he does when he comes here. Everything came together at the right time, I think he will be here for a long time, half a year is not enough.”
Fernandez signed a five-year deal at Benfica when he joined in the summer and is now under contract until 2027. Reports following the completion of the transfer suggest the player has a significant €120M (£105.8m) release clause and that his former club River Plate will be entitled to 25 per cent of any future transfer.
Those that have worked with Fernandez previously tipped him for great things and while he was at River Plate, he spent a season on loan at Argentinian side Defensa. The president of that club, Diego Lemme, told outlet Como te va: “When we brought him to Defensa we told him he was a player for Real Madrid. I hope he can make it to Europe, he has more than enough talent.”
For Liverpool, midfield targets will be high on the agenda in the 2023 summer transfer window, with a number of deals coming to an end. James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita currently will all be out of contract at the end of the campaign.
Jurgen Klopp did add loan signing Arthur Melo to his ranks on deadline day. However next summer, the long-term solution will need to be identified and signed as the Reds continue the evolution of their team.
Fernandez could fit the bill. And in today's World Cup final against France, he has the perfect chance to prove it. But Liverpool may not need any more proof.
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