Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea not giving up on signing Benfica midfielder before January transfer window closes on Tuesday | Football News
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Chelsea have not given up on trying to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez before the January transfer window closes on Tuesday.
Chelsea have been in talks to sign the Argentine throughout this month but Benfica have so far refused to do business unless the Blues pay the €120m (£105.4m) release clause.
Chelsea have offered players on loan and on permanent deals but the Portuguese side have so far refused to accept anything except the release clause.
The 22-year-old wants to move to Chelsea but he has been training and playing since he was dropped for one game for going on an unauthorised trip home to Argentina for a New Year’s Eve party.
Fernandez, who won the Best Young Player award at the 2022 World Cup with winners Argentina, played in Saturday’s 3-0 league win at Santa Clara.
The west London side have also tried to sign other midfielders this month, including Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and Everton’s Amadou Onana.
Chelsea’s search for a midfielder comes amid question marks over the long-term futures of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante – whose contracts expire at the end of the season.
Benfica boss Roger Schmidt criticised Chelsea’s behaviour in their bid to sign Fernandez earlier this month, saying: “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.
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“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.”
The 22-year-old is in line for a big pay rise if he moves, but Benfica have been trying to get him to sign a new contract as they anticipate clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona will try to sign him in the summer.
Although Chelsea can afford to pay Fernandez’s £105.4m release clause, doing so would impact their ability to comply with Premier League and UEFA financial fair play rules.
Follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports
Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window closes at 11pm on Tuesday January 31, 2023.
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
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