Enzo Fernandez could make his Chelsea debut this evening (Friday) when the Blues take on Fulham in a west London derby three days after he left Benfica for Chelsea on deadline day. A British record transfer fee of £106.7million was agreed between the two clubs with the 22-year-old signing an eight-and-a-half-year contract.
After starring at the World Cup in Qatar, Fernandez continued his impressive performances throughout January for Benfica and saw interest in him reignited by Chelsea. Negotiations initially began at the start of the month but any potential deal looked to have collapsed because of differing views on a payment structure, with Benfica adamant his £106million release clause had to be paid in full for them to sanction a departure.
However, despite Chelsea completing the move at the eleventh hour they will instead be paying for the World Cup winner in instalments with a £30million fee set to paid upfront followed by multiple instalments. Three days after signing, Fernandez could now make his debut for his new club, with Graham Potter revealing he could be involved in his matchday squad to take on Fulham.
