Chelsea have communicated their willingness to pay Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez’s £105million release clause at Benfica.
The 21-year-old was one of the breakout stars at the World Cup and is highly sought after, with at least one other club said to be in the race sign him in January.
Chelsea officials have already informed Benfica of their interest in Fernandez during a meeting involving their president Rui Costa and super-agent Jorge Mendes.
The Blues hope to steal a march on their rivals, with Manchester United and Liverpool keen on securing midfielders next summer.
Fernandez, who played a key role in helping Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar, is under contract until 2027 and Benfica will resist all offers unless his release clause is met.
Chelsea have yet to reach an agreement with the player himself, should a deal be struck with Benfica.
As well as their interest in Fernandez, Chelsea remain interested in England midfield duo Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho’s contracts due to expire next summer.
It has been an aggressive start ahead of the January transfer window for Chelsea, who have already agreed a £50m deal to sign RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku next summer.
They are also in talks to sign £35m Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile and have broadly agreed on deals to sign teenager duo David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos from Molde and Vasco.
