Chelsea is getting her way. He will bring the world champion. The fifth most expensive transfer in the history of football

Enzo Fernandez was one of the biggest revelations during the World Cup in Qatar. The Argentine midfielder played in all of the squad’s matches at the tournament and scored in a 2-0 group match against Mexico. After the World Cup, he was linked with a transfer to Real Madrid in case the Spaniards failed to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. There were also rumors of interest from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain. After that, there was only one favorite in the fight for Fernandez – Chelsea.

Chelsea close to reaching their goal. They want Enzo Fernandez and give €130m

Duncan Castles, journalist for The Times, has reported that Chelsea have achieved their goal and are very close to signing Enzo Fernandez from Benfica Lisbon. The Portuguese are to earn as much as 130 million euros – an amount that is ten million more than the one written in the buyout clause. This procedure is to make Chelsea able to spread the payment in installments. In addition, Fernandez did not show up for Benfica training to put pressure on his current employer. The final decision of Rui Costa, the president of Benfica, is expected soon.

Previously, media reported that Chelsea had made two bids of €127m for Enzo Fernandez. Then there was information that the English offered “only” 90 million euros. The whole thing was then outraged coach Roger Schmidt. “It’s disrespectful to all of us, to Benfica. They drive the player crazy. They pretend they want to pay the clause and then they want to negotiate. They tried to tempt him, but they know they can only have him if they pay the clause. If he wants to leave and someone breaks the clause, then maybe we will lose him.

Enzo Fernandez’s €130m departure will mark Chelsea’s transfer record and Benfica’s Lisbon selling record. So far, Chelsea paid the most for Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2021 – then Inter Milan collected €113 million. In turn, Benfica has so far earned the most from the departure of Joao Felix to Atletico Madrid – as much as 127 million euros. At the same time, Fernandez will be the fifth most expensive player in football history – only Neymar (€222m), Kylian Mbappe (€180m), Ousmane Dembele (€140m) and Philippe Coutinho (€135m) have been paid more.

Enzo Fernandez joined Benfica Lisbon in July 2022 for €14m from River Plate. So far, the Argentine midfielder has made 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and registering seven assists.