Chelsea make improved offer for Fernández - deal would set new Premier League record
Chelsea are reportedly intent on signing Benfica star Enzo Fernández before the January transfer window shut on Tuesday, and according to a new report, the Stamford Bridge side may finally sign their coveted transfer target. On Monday afternoon the Athletic reported that the Premier League giants had submitted an offer worth €120 million to sign the 22-year-old midfielder, in a bid to get a deal over the line in time.
Fernández has been heavily linked with a move to London for some time now but Chelsea were never able to match Benfica's demands of paying for the Argentina international's release clause of €120m. According to reports at the time, the English giants offered an initial €85m at the start of January, with potential add-ons that may have made up a deal worth the asking price. The Lisbon club then duly rejected the offer, but may be forced to accept this one if Chelsea have returned with the full value of the transfer up front.
The young midfielder only made the move to Portugal last summer, when Benfica signed Fernández from River Plate for a paltry sum of €14m. However, in that time the midfielder has gone from strength to strength at Benfica and, crucially, played a vital role in Argentina winning the 2022 World Cup. As such, Fernández has seen his market value baloon to €55m in his first season in European football and may yet move clubs for over twice that amount in less than 12 months.
€120m offer for Fernández - set to break Chelsea and Premier League records
Should Chelsea get the deal over the line for the reported amount of money, it will make Fernández the club's record signing, surpassing the €113m spent on Romelu Lukaku in 2021. And far surpassing the €80m spent on Wesley Fofana and Kai Havertz in recent seasons. Remarkably, the deal would also mean that Chelsea's spending on new players for this season alone would stand at a remarkable €502m - excluding the fee the club had to pay to hire manager Graham Potter. The fee will also send shockwaves across the Premier League, making Fernández the most expensive signing in the history of the league. Beating the €117.5m Manchester City spent to sign Jack Grealish in 2021 and the €105m Manchester United spent on Paul Pogba in 2016.
From Jorginho to Fernández - The most expensive January transfers in 2022/23
- Date of Birth/Age:
- 17.01.2001 (22)
-
Nat.:
- Current club:
- Chelsea FC
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2031
- Position:
- Central Midfield
- Market Value:
- €55.00m
- Date of Birth/Age:
- 20.05.1975 (47)
-
Nat.:
- Current club:
- Chelsea FC
- Current Position:
- Manager
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2027
- In charge since:
- Sep 8, 2022
- Total Market Value:
- €1.03bn
- Competition:
- Premier League
- Position:
- 10.
- Manager:
- Graham Potter
- Squad size:
- 32
- Latest Transfer:
- Enzo Fernández
- Total Market Value:
- €313.00m
- Competition:
- Liga Portugal
- Position:
- 1.
- Manager:
- Roger Schmidt
- Squad size:
- 24
- Latest Transfer:
- Gonçalo Guedes
