The possible transfer of Enzo Fernández to Chelsea is deadlocked after the English pulled out with the intention of paying 120 million euros for the Benfica player. That was, incidentally, the bar set by Rui Costa, president of the reds, who pointed to the amount in the termination clause of the contract that the Argentine midfielder signed in the summer. The British, with the help of businessman Jorge Mendes, tried to sensitize the leader of Benfica so that the amount would be paid in installments and not in cash, as required by the aforementioned clause.
In that sense, the Chelsea officials pulled out and now Enzo Fernández, who is fighting his way out of the Premier League, can still… stay with Luz until the end of this season. Rui Costa has said several times that he has no intention of getting rid of the team’s best players unless someone pays an athlete’s termination clause, as the bet is on the sporting side. And in that sense, Argentina’s world champion midfielder has been one of the most important players for coach Roger Schmidt.
The SAD incarnate remains unyielding with the €120m payment, so Enzo is now closer to continuing with an eagle on his chest, although it is admitted that this step behind Chelsea could be part of his negotiating strategy as he could play with the will of the player, who has pressured Benfica to let him go.
The midfielder is also under the club’s disciplinary jurisdiction for missing two training sessions after traveling to Argentina without permission to celebrate the new year. Therefore, the presence of Enzo Fernández in the Benfica team that will receive Portimonense this Friday (7pm, BTV), for the 15th round of the I Liga, is still unknown. By the way, Roger Schmidt should clarify that this Thursday, in the preview press conference, and after last week’s game in Braga, he had said that the player was not authorized to make a transatlantic trip to make the transition of the year to celebrate.
Coach dodges the question
Chelsea coach Graham Potter escaped questioning about interest in Enzo Fernández this Wednesday ahead of tomorrow’s game against Manchester City. “We try to improve the team where possible, but January is a difficult period because we are in the middle of the season and we are dealing with all the noise around the team. As such, I am not commenting on anyone’s situation. player who is not a Chelsea player.”, he underlined and finished: “It’s a boring answer, but my job is to help the players who are here and help the club make decisions about how the team can will be improved.”
The truth is that in addition to Enzo, Chelsea are also interested in Ukrainian striker Mykhailo Mudryk, who hails from Shakhtar, with the biggest investment in the club’s history underway, which already stands at €294m this season, but could reach up to 400 million if the release clause for the Benfica midfielder is paid. It’s all or nothing from a club that is 10th in the Premier League, ten points off next season’s Champions League.
Source: DN
