Chelsea could still make a move to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernández in the remaining weeks of the transfer window, journalist Simon Phillips has told GiveMeSport.
Graham Potter's die have already been very active in the winter market at Stamford Bridge this month and could strengthen the side further ahead of the window's closure at the end of January.
Chelsea transfer news – Enzo Fernández
After pursuing the addition of Fernández for a fee of £112m earlier this month, reports in Argentina seemed to suggest that a deal to sign the midfielder for Chelsea had collapsed and a move looked to be improbable before the transfer window’s closure.
It had appeared that the club had moved on from trying to pursue the World Cup winner, after the Premier League outfit made a £65m bid in an attempt to lure Brighton & Hove Albion into selling Moisés Caicedo to the west London side last week, as per CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.
But now The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg, has revealed that Chelsea are planning to make another move for the midfielder before the window is out, whilst transfer insider Dean Jones has recently hinted to GiveMeSport that a deal for the Argentinian could still happen before 31st January, stating that whilst a deal is “unlikely”, a potential switch to Stamford Bridge cannot be totally ruled out.
And Phillips has stated that a possible transfer for Fernandez “still isn’t going away” for Potter’s side.
What has Phillips said about Chelsea and Fernández?
Phillips told GiveMeSport: “There's the Enzo Fernández situation that still isn't going away. It’s still hovering around there.
“There were some whispers last week, I've been hearing that Chelsea might try and push again for that in the final week of the window.
“They're not going to pay his full release clause, which is what Benfica are asking for at the moment.”
Would Fernández be a good signing for Chelsea?
Fernández – who has been backed to become a “game-changer” by journalist Roy Nemer – has enjoyed an excellent first season in European football, having taken Benfica by storm since his transfer last summer.
The former River Plate star has made 28 appearances for the Portuguese giants, hitting the back of the net four times and providing seven assists as per Transfermarkt, suggesting that he can be a creative threat from the centre of the park.
The San Martín-born star also compares favourably to his positional peers, ranking in the top 1% of midfielders across the men’s next eight competitions for passes attempted (97.32) and passes completed per 90 minutes (9.30) over the last 365 days, as per FBref.
The midfielder followed his impressive start to life in European football by winning a World Cup title last month, showing that he is capable of performing on the biggest stage when it matters.
Therefore, this could prove to be a deal that Todd Boehly decides to resurrect as the transfer window nears its closure, with Chelsea desperate for midfield additions this month.
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