Chelsea make offer of £112 million for World Cup star

Chelsea’s dismal run of form continued on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest at The City Ground. 

The Blues have now won just one of their last seven Premier League matches, and pressure is building on Graham Potter just four months after he took charge of the club.

A number of Chelsea’s current squad have been criticised for their poor performances so far this term, and it appears that the club’s owner, Todd Boehly, is taking decisive action in an attempt to rectify their form.

According to The Mail, The Blues have launched an offer of £112 million to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

The 21-year-old was one of the standout performers at the World Cup in Qatar, with his performances helping Argentina to lift the trophy.

It is understood that the bid is around £6 million higher than the player’s buyout clause of £106 million, but would be paid in three annual instalments of £37.3 million.

Fernandez only joined current side Benfica last summer, signing from River Plate for a reported £10 million, but he could now be on his way to London for a fee that will see Benfica make a profit of more than £100 million.

If the deal does go through, Fernandez will become the most expensive player in Premier League history, with the current record held by Jack Grealish who cost Manchester City £100 million when he signed from Aston Villa in 2021.

Fernandez was named the Young Player of the Tournament at the World Cup

The Argentina international has been in fine form for his current side so far this season, with his performances helping Benfica to top Group H in the Champions League, ahead of both Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

In total, he has 25 appearances already at club level across all competitions so far this term, as well as playing in all seven of Argentina’s games at the World Cup.

Fernandez had only made his senior international debut in September of last year, but he started five of their games in Qatar and was substituted on in the other two, before being given the Young Player of the Tournament award for his efforts.

The Blues have already been busy in the market, with David Datro Fofana having joined from Molde, and a deal for Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile also close to being completed.

Potter will be looking to add at least one midfielder to his squad, though, with both Jorginho and N’Golo Kante set to be out of contract at the end of the current campaign.

They had been linked with the likes of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in recent months, but they may end their pursuit of the England duo if they land Fernandez.