Chelsea look set to make a late push to sign Enzo Fernandez before the January transfer window slams shut. The 22-year-old continues to be heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as Graham Potter looks to bolster his midfield.
The Blues are expected to approach Benfica with another proposal for Fernandez before the end of the month, football.london understands. Chelsea made the Argentina international a priority target before the new year and they held several rounds of talks over a deal.
And, now, that time has come if reports are to be believed. According to The Telegraph, the west Londoners have reopened talks with the Portuguese giants in what seems to be one final attempt before the deadline on Tuesday evening.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly tipped to complete late Enzo Fernandez transfer as Benfica stance clear
A move has previously collapsed when Benfica stood by their €120million (£105m) valuation, his release clause — a figure which Chelsea were not prepared to meet. But, with the club in desperate need of a new midfielder amid the uncertain futures of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho, there appears to be a new urgency to get a deal done.
Earlier this month, head coach Roger Schmidt declared his confidence that Fernandez will stay with the Eagles beyond the January transfer window. He said: "We do not want to sell him, neither I nor the president.
"We know that there is a release clause and if he wants to leave and someone pays that clause, then maybe we lose the player. There is a club that wants him, they tried to attract him, but they know that they can only have him if they pay the clause.
"It’s disrespectful to all of us, to Benfica, they’re driving the player crazy, they pretend they want to pay the clause and then they want to negotiate. About Enzo, this is all I’m going to say and I’m not going to answer any more questions about it."
Then, on Wednesday, Schmidt doubled down. He added: "Yes, of course [I'm confident Enzo stays]. I think when you see Enzo playing at the moment for Benfica, I see a player who is on his top level, who is very happy to play for the club and I think there is nothing else in the mindset of the player.
"I don't expect that we lose any of our players who are playing a lot and who are in the starting XI. That's why I see very focused players and that's why I expect that he stays."
Todd Boehly has built a reputation for completing transfers in times which have rarely been seen before. Chelsea completed a deal to sign Mykhailo Mudryk in what seemed to be a matter of hours despite a move to Arsenal being all but confirmed
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