Enzo Fernandez Makes U-Turn Over Chelsea Transfer

Enzo Fernandez has reportedly changed his mind about staying with Benfica and is now pushing to join Chelsea before January transfer window closes tomorrow with negotiations now seeming to move forward thanks to the involvement of super-agent Jorge Mendes.

Infoexpert24 understands that members of Chelsea’s hierarchy are now traveling to Lisbon in order to negotiate directly with Benfica, similar to how they secured a deal ahead of Arsenal for Mykhailo Mudryk earlier this month.

Fernandez has established himself as one of the finest young players in world football in recent times, having shone since his move to Benfica in the summer, and with his commanding displays for Argentina as they won the World Cup in Qatar this winter.

Chelsea have been negotiating with Benfica for several weeks but have been unable to agree a deal.

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Benfica have been adamant that Chelsea must pay Fernandez’s €120 million (£105.4m) release clause and the Premier League club’s attempt to meet that figure by offering the fee in installments has been rejected.

Fernandez, meanwhile, was disciplined by Benfica earlier this month as he attempted to force his move to Chelsea by missing two training sessions and returning to Argentina for New Year celebrations without permission.

The midfielder then appeared to signal that he wanted to stay with his celebration in front of Benfica’s supporters after scoring in their Portuguese Cup win over Varzim.

However, emerging reports suggest that Fernandez has had another change of heart and has indicated to Benfica that he wants to join Chelsea before the window closes on Tuesday evening.

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When asked last week if he believes Fernandez will remain at Benfica, head coach Roger Schmidt said: ‘Yes, of course.

‘When you see Enzo playing you can tell he’s in shape and happy. He’s not thinking about anything else.

‘I’m not expecting to lose any of the starters. I see the players concentrated and I hope this continues.’

Meanwhile, a report by The Telegraph suggests that Chelsea believes they can reach an agreement with Benfica before Tuesday’s deadline.