Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernández is ‘undergoing medical tests’ at a hospital in Lisbon so a potential move to Chelsea can be finalized quickly.
That’s according to A Bola , a Portuguese newspaper, who says the Argentine is ‘expected to be available’ at any moment should Chelsea be able to strike a deal with Benfica.
They explain that, according to their information, the player has been given the all-clear to take another step forward towards a move to Stamford Bridge.
That permission is seen as a sign that a deal could still be reached between the two sides, with the Blues willing to pay €120m for the World Cup winner.
That would match his release clause but they want to pay that figure in installments and over more than five years. It is that which is leading to the ‘dragging’ of the negotiations as Benfica want the payment to be made in a shorter time period.
The permission to undergo medical tests, which A Bola are claiming as their own information, is seen as a belief that a deal can be reached at some point today.
Journalist César Luis Merlo adds that there are ‘permanent meetings’ between Chelsea and Benfica to try and do so.
Indeed, the Blues have ‘already informed’ the player and the Portuguese club that they will bid for him right up until the ‘book closes’.
Nothing has been defined as yet but that willingness, plus an early completion of the medical procedures, at least gives them the possibility of it being completed in the coming hours.
🚨Hay reuniones permanentes entre Chelsea y Benfica para tratar de llegar a un acuerdo por Enzo Fernández.
*️⃣Los ingleses ya le hicieron saber al jugador y a los portugueses que pujarán por él hasta el cierre del libro de pases. Nada definido aún.— César Luis Merlo (@CLMerlo) January 31, 2023
