Already attracting admiring glances before Qatar, Enzo Fernandez shot to stardom at the World Cup with Argentina. Moving to Benfica for €12m from River Plate in July, few players have seen their value rocket in such dramatic fashion.
As the tournament progressed, suitors emerged with speed. Liverpool and Real Madrid were among them. The pair are locked in a battle for Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund, but Fernandez became a de facto alternative in the minds of many.
With Real Madrid edging ahead in the race for Bellingham, it appears Los Blancos are off the radar for Fernandez, as per Fabrizio Romano.
“At the moment there are negotiations ongoing, Chelsea will push this week to get it done but it’s not completed yet. Depends on Benfica, on president Rui Costa who always said he wanted €120m clause or nothing. It’s always open to other clubs until it’s done, but Liverpool will not pay €120m clause and never made an official bid despite fake news around.”
Romano made the comments to Caught Offside in his exclusive Substack column.
It appears clear that Fernandez will leave Benfica for just one club this January – Chelsea are the only ones willing to pay his €120m release clause.
While Fernandez is a remarkable talent, it is no surprise that both in terms of resources and interest, the majority of big clubs are reluctant to commit to such an outlay. Benfica probably did not think anyone would come close to activating that release clause so quickly and if Chelsea do so, then there is an inherent risk on basing their assessment on six months of form.
