Chelsea are seriously interested in signing Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in the January transfer window and are willing to pay the £105million release clause in his deal.
It’s not even January yet and Chelsea are already conducting plenty of business behind the scenes.
David Datro Fofana was confirmed as the Blues’ first signing of the window earlier in the week and the club are wasting no time in bringing their second player in. Chelsea are now working tirelessly in their efforts to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.
The west Londoners and the Portuguese club are locked in talks over the 21-year-old midfielder, who starred for Argentina in their World Cup-winning campaign. Chelsea are willing to pay Fernandez’s £105million release clause in his contract. They are, however, reluctant to pay it as a one-off fee and would rather separate the price with multiple instalments.
Plenty of credible outlets are reporting that the Argentina international wants to make the big-money switch to Stamford Bridge next month. It’s now up to Chelsea to come up with a solution in regards to the hefty price-tag.
If the two clubs can reach an agreement and Fernandez becomes a Chelsea player, then he would be able to represent his new side in the Champions League. The Blues take on Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16 – with the first-leg scheduled to be played on February 15 and the return fixture at Stamford Bridge on March 7.
This is because the ruling states: “As of the round of 16, a club may register a maximum of three new eligible players for the remaining matches in the current competition. Such registration must be completed by 2 February 2023 (24.00CET) at the latest. This deadline cannot be extended.
“Any or all of the players from the above quota of three may have been fielded for another club in the qualifying phase, play-offs or group stage of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League.”
This hasn’t always been the case, however. Back in the 2018/19 season, the player registration restrictions in European competitions have been lifted. This will come as a major boost should Chelsea manage to get this Fernandez deal over the line in the coming days/weeks.
SOURCE: football.london
