Chelsea want to sign Benfica star Enzo Fernández ‘immediately’ and have already sent representatives to Lisbon in an attempt to ‘convince the player’.
That’s according to Correio da Manhã, who say the Blues are willing to pay more than the Argentina star’s €120m release clause to get him.
The newspaper explains that Chelsea, alongside Erik ten Hag’s side, are ‘in the front line’ to sign Fernández in January following his exploits in Qatar.
Unlike their Premier League counterparts, though, Chelsea are not resting on their laurels and have already sent representatives to Benfica in an attempt to ‘close the deal’ for the midfielder.
They want him ‘immediately’ and are preparing to submit a proposal above the €120m in his contract to ensure they win the race for his signature.
The extra value of their bid is an attempt to overcome the strong competition from Liverpool and Real Madrid and would allow the Portuguese side to receive the money in full now rather than in instalments.
Benfica would like to keep the player, but the decision will be out of their hands should anyone match or better his release clause and super-agent Jorge Mendes has been gathering the various proposals, one of them from Chelsea.
Record back that last bit up in their coverage of the situation, stating that Mendes is set to hand Benfica chief Rui Costa a ‘crazy offer’ for the midfielder that could exceed the €126m they received for João Félix in 2019.
There is no mention of who will make that bid, but it is made clear a €100m offer has already been refused by those in charge of the club. It will be Fernández who decides his fate, though.
O Jogo, meanwhile, say Mendes has already presented two proposals to the club, again from unnamed suitors, worth €127m in total. However, there is an expectation that another worth €130m will arrive before too long.
They explain that Benfica have already lined up a replacement in the form of Racing midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, a hint that they are preparing to lose Fernández in the January transfer window.
Whether that is to Chelsea remains to be seen but as far as Correio da Manhã are concerned, it is they who are pushing hardest to win the race for the World Cup star.
