Chelsea face an anxious race against time to complete the £105million singing of Benfica star Enzo Fernandez. The World Cup winner has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as Todd Boehly continues his overhaul of Graham Potter's playing squad.
Fernandez had been identified as the club's primary target this month and football.london understands that the Blues have held extensive talks with Benfica over the course of the past few days. A bid in the region of the £105m release clause in his contract has been submitted by the west Londoners but there remains the ongoing issue over the structure of the deal.
Chelsea have proposed to pay the fee over a spread of instalments rather than paying the fee in full, which Benfica prefer. The player himself has reiterated his desire to join Potter's squad and has been omitted from Benfica's squad for their league game at Arouca tonight.
