Chelsea break EPL transfer record to sign Enzo Fernandez for £106.8M

Chelsea supporters can rest easy now that Enzo Fernandez is officially a Blue.

The drawn-out transfer saga involving the highly rated midfielder concluded late Tuesday after Benfica announced it had reached a record-breaking agreement with Chelsea.

Chelsea finalized the deal after productive talks on deadline day over a package worth up to £106.8 million (€121 million), breaking the British transfer record.

The previous record was set in 2021 when Manchester City reportedly paid £100 million for Jack Grealish. The fee for Fernandez also exceeds the £97.5 million that Chelsea paid to re-sign Romelu Lukaku in 2021.

Fernandez is understood to have agreed to a long-term contract that keeps him at Stamford Bridge until 2031, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

Benfica rejected multiple offers for the Argentina international from the Blues throughout January, even though the World Cup winner had reportedly expressed his desire to join Chelsea.

Chelsea had followed their initial approach in early January with another unsuccessful bid, as Benfica preferred to keep Fernandez until the end of the season.

He becomes Chelsea’s eighth January signing, bringing their outlay this month to over €321 million. The Blues added Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Malo Gusto, and Joao Felix, who joined on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Fernandez played a pivotal role in helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was named the tournament’s best young player.

Benfica signed Fernandez last summer for €10 million, plus a potential €8 million in add-ons, from River Plate.

Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League.