The race for Enzo Fernandez’s signature has been arguably the biggest story of the past fortnight as teams all over Europe try their best to get their hands on the World Cup’s best young player.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been strongly linked, but now it looks as though the Blues have nudged ahead in this race.
Liverpool have even reportedly spoken to Jorge Mendes about this signing, but now Chelsea seem to be closing in on the Argentine.
Indeed, according to Fabrizio Romano, the London club are now preparing a huge fee for the player, while the 21-year-old has reportedly already said yes to the idea of a move to Stamford Bridge.
As Romano says, Fernandez has seemingly agreed to join Chelsea, and a move to west London may just be a matter of time.
Of course, the fee will be a stumbling block. Chelsea do not want to pay the release clause, while Benfica are holding out for the £105m fee.
However, if we know anything about Chelsea and Todd Boehly it’s that they’ll eventually cough up the cash.
Indeed, while they try to be savvy in the window, in the end they often end up paying the asking price for a player they want in order to secure their signature, and it seems as though that may be where this Fernandez story is going.
If they’re that keen on the player and he’s already agreed personal terms they’re not just going to give up the fight easily.
This race could become complicated if either Liverpool or Manchester United do indeed put a bid in, but as the journalist says, there is no offer on the table from either club right now and with Liverpool already spending big on Cody Gakpo and United in a tricky financial situation this January, Chelsea may well have a clear run at signing Fernandez.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
