Benfica president Rui Costa has now determined that selling Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea is the only way to end the on-going saga involving the midfielder.
Fernandez has been linked with a number of European clubs since starring in Argentina’s World Cup victory and winning the Young Player of the Tournament award.
However, after it became clear that Benfica would not sell for less than a release clause of €120m (£105.62m), the majority of teams decided not to make an approach in January.
Chelsea remained interested, and it was widely reported at the end of 2022 that the Blues’ owners were willing to pay more than the release clause to avoid paying Benfica’s fee in advance.
Fernandez, meanwhile, has only recently returned to Portugal after allegedly being granted a “special permit” to do so, and he also played in Benfica’s 3-0 loss to Braga over Christmas.
Despite that appearance, it has since been reported that he is eager to join Chelsea, just five months after making his debut for Benfica.
According to Record, the 21-year-old told head coach Roger Schmidt on Tuesday that he wanted to join the Premier League club, which appears to have prompted further developments.
According to the same source, Costa is ready to strike a deal with Chelsea and has authorised Fernandez’s agent, Jorge Mendes, to negotiate with the club.
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Personal terms for Fernandez are not expected to be an issue, with the emphasis likely to be on the structure of the financial proposal that Chelsea negotiates with Benfica.
Nonetheless, if the reported €127m (£111.78m) is correct, it will be a club record for a player who cost €18m, including add-ons, in June and has made only 25 appearances for Benfica.
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