Chelsea do not have any future talks scheduled with Benfica over the transfer of midfielder Enzo Fernandez after witnessing their bid rejected, confirms Fabrizio Romano. The Blues look to be set to miss out on the signing of the Argentina midfielder, who jumped onto the scene after helping his side lift the World Cup trophy.
Chelsea Unable to Reach Transfer Agreement for Enzo Fernandez
Benfica coach Schmidt: "We don't want to sell Enzo. There's a club that wants him, tempted him but they know the only way is €120m clause" 🚨🚨🇦🇷 #CFC
"They’re disrespectful, they’re leaving the player crazy. They acted like they wanted to pay clause… then want to negotiate". pic.twitter.com/3zZ68AD5gQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 5, 2023
Chelsea Have No Talks Scheduled for Fernandez Signing
The London side tried best to seal the signing of Enzo Fernandez, but ended up being burdened by the overwhelming demands from his side. Benfica are reportedly demanding over £105 million in transfer fees from his sale – which would have meant for Chelsea to break their transfer record – which the West London club are reluctant to do.
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Romano adds that both clubs do not have any meeting scheduled in the future for the Argentina international after his club rejected a bid of around £70 million from the Premier League side. Things were held up by the demands of Benfica president Rui Costa, who insisted that he would not accept anything less than the release clause in Fernandez’s contract, which is reported to be in the region of £105 million. So, at the moment there is nothing planned between the two sides and no other club has shown an intention of signing him either.
Fernandez Pushed Hard for Chelsea Move
The 21-year-old midfielder was reportedly ready to take a big step forward in his domestic career and move to the Premier League, as he wants to compete against the best players in the world. The Argentina star has even told Benfica manager Roger Schmidt about his desire to leave the club and waited for the two clubs to find a transfer agreement before he’s allowed to travel to England and finalize all the procedures before he can become a new Chelsea player.
Enzo Fernández has already spoken to Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt on today’s training session, he confirmed that he wants Chelsea move as main priority. 🔵 #CFC
Negotiations will continue between the two clubs later tonight, crucial 24/48h to close the deal. pic.twitter.com/3gTpaIAY5o
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 3, 2023
However, that has now all been dismissed as the teams failed to find an agreement over his transfer fee. He will now have the awkward situation of needing to reconcile with his Benfica teammates and the supporters, who are undoubtedly angry at him after seeing him try to bail on the club immediately after his World Cup success.
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Enzo Fernandez is a highly-rated player who has caught the attention of many major European clubs after his heroics at the World Cup. He played in all of Argentina’s games in the competition, scoring a goal and getting an assist. The 21-year-old became a “World Cup Sensation” after he was named the World Cup Young Player of the Tournament award, which is why Chelsea were pushing hard to make him a key part of their ambitious future project.
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