Chelsea have signed Enzo Fernandez for a record fee in the Premier League.
The Blues have chased the Benfica star all window and the deal looked like it wouldn't be done until a few days ago. The move accelerated quickly though over the last few days, with the Blues apparently keen to pay exactly what the Portuguese side were asking for.
Fernandez only signed from River Plate over the summer for under £15m. Following a successful World Cup in which he won the tournament with Argentina and the Young Player award, he has become one of the most talked-about players in Europe.
The Times were among the first to report that Chelsea were set to shell out an incredible £115 million for Fernandez, Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, meanwhile, claimed Chelsea wanted "the player at all costs". Benfica insisted that Fernandez was not for sale – only for the Blues to make their feelings clear.
Chelsea's previous transfer record was around £100m, paid in the summer of 2021 to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan.
Chelsea have been extremely busy in the transfer market since Todd Boehly acquired the club last summer and this winter has followed the hectic summer, with seven new arrivals.
Benoit Badiashile was first to join before David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos both joined. Joao Felix moved to London on loan, before the headline buy of Mykhaylo Mudryk. Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto have both signed for the two-time Champions League winners, too.
Still just 22, Fernandez is now in an elite club of players to move for over £100m. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Joao Felix, Antoine Griezmann, Jack Grealish and Romelu Lukaku make up the rest of the list.
Fernandez is valued by Transfermarkt to be worth €55m.
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Chelsea have reopened talks over a move for Enzo Fernandez, whom they were linked with at the start of January.
But the Blues look set to be beaten by Liverpool to the signature of Wolves star Matheus Nunes this summer.
