Benfica seem to be throwing in the towel in the race for River Plate midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Since Wolverhampton Wanderers joined the competition for the signing, the Lisbon side became a fragile contender, and seem to have completely given up now.
Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã today features a headline claiming Bruno Lage and Jorge Mendes are set to ‘take away’ the player from Benfica.
Once again claiming an emissary has been sent to Buenos Aires to trigger the player’s €20m release clause, they highlight the fact that the Eagles could not afford that amount.
It’s said the Lisbon side showed ‘big interest in the player’, but couldn’t pay that much, and wanted to negotiate for something lower than that.
Basically, since Wolves joined the race, the player became a ‘mirage’ for the Lisbon club.
Bruno Lage’s side are said to be looking for a player with Fernandez’s characteristics, since Ruben Neves is being negotiated and João Moutinho’s contract is running out.
So if Wolves were ever worried about the competition from Benfica, it seems they’ve easily beaten the Eagles and any chances they had of taking him to Portugal.
