Chelsea are stepping up their attempts to sign Enzo Fernandez in January with Portuguese media reporting that not only did representatives meet to discuss a deal, Benfica are now also said to be trying to find a replacement for him.
The 21-year-old midfielder jumped onto the scene in Qatar at the World Cup with some standout performances for eventual winners Argentina and now Chelsea are trying to beat their rivals to his signature.
Liverpool and Manchester United are also interested in the midfielder and he could be moving on less than 12 months after signing for his current club. Fernandez was picked up by Benfica over the summer for just £10million but has quickly made a name for himself, starting every game for Argentina after scoring in the second game against Mexico.
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Ahead of the January window though he has become an in-demand player with clubs across Europe competing for his signature in order to secure one of the best performing players in his position. When the top dogs come calling it can be hard to keep them at bay for long, and Portuguese media state that Benfica aren't holding up much hope of retaining their prize asset.
O Jogo write that Rui Costa, club president and Rui Pedro Braz, sporting director, have begun looking for a replacement, lining up Carlos Alvarez from Racing. Meanwhile, it is also written in CMTV that Chelsea went to Lisbon to negotiate a deal and to formalise their interest.
Meanwhile, according to Pedro Almeida a massive €120million + €10million (£88million + £8.8million) bid has been made to bring the star to SW6 in January.
The Blues are now working with a new-look recruitment department including Christopher Vivell, Paul Winstanley and Kyle Macaulay, whilst Joe Shields and Laurence Stewart will join up in 2023 too. This group are now tasked with overhauling the squad with a list of names in January as well as a bigger project in the summer.
A midfielder is chiefly amongst the things needed in the winter though and it could demand Fernandez's €120million (£105million) release clause is met. Although keeping him until the summer is the aim, such is the speed at which he has risen into prominence there is now a chance that something happens earlier.
As has been seen with deals involving Chelsea in the past year, their interest has spiked quickly and this deal could be a fast mover one way or another.
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