The Argentine midfielder is keen to move to west London (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea have moved a step closer to securing a deal for Enzo Fernandez after agreeing personal terms with the Benfica midfielder, according to reports in Argentina.
The west London club are looking to strengthen their squad significantly in the January window and have identified the World Cup winner – who is also wanted by Liverpool – as the ideal signing to overhaul their ageing midfield.
Fernandez, who is just 21, is keen to make the switch to the Premier League even though he only joined Benfica six months ago – though the Portuguese side are demanding his £106million release clause is paid in full.
Chelsea have been locked in talks with Benfica and are prepared to stump up a club-record fee, though they want to restructure the payments and pay in instalments over several years.
While talks with the Portuguese club may be stalling, negotiations with the player have encountered no such hurdles.
According to TyC Sports, Chelsea already have a contractual agreement in place with Fernandez who has agreed personal terms and a salary package with the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Fernandez was in action against Braga on Friday night (Picture: Getty)
He is very keen on a move to west London and wants to test himself at a higher level, with his entourage now waiting on Benfica and Chelsea to agree a fee.
There is optimism on the part of Chelsea that they can agree a payment structure with Benfica that would avoid them having to pay the full £106m release clause up front, with the deal likely to progress quickly once that has been agreed.
Fernandez looked tearful in the dugout on Friday night when he played in Benfica’s 3-0 loss to Braga, with manager Roger Schmidt suggesting he may have played his last game for the club.
‘In my opinion Enzo played well today. I don’t know if it was Enzo’s last game,’ said the Benfica boss. ‘He is a great player, since he arrived at Benfica he has played fantastic football.
‘And even as a person he is totally identified with the club. As I said before, in football sometimes things happen and players have to make decisions. Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks.’
Chelsea are languishing in eighth place in the Premier League table, seven points adrift of the top four, while the likes of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have entered the final six months of their contracts leaving the club in dire need of new additions in midfield.
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The Argentine midfielder is keen to move to west London.
