After having earlier in the month’s attempts at signing Enzo Fernandez from Benfica denied, Chelsea is prepared to reopen negotiations.
The club’s desire to resume negotiations has revived the potential of a January transfer for the 21-year-old midfielder, who is one of the club’s top objectives.
Argentina’s World Cup-winning playmaker is a target for Chelsea, but there are Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues with meeting his £105 million buyout clause.
The Blues have already spent £420 million on moves this season alone, but they have dispersed the costs over historically long contracts, sometimes going as long as eight and a half years.
However, in Fernandez’s situation, Chelsea would have to pay the money up front if the clause is fully satisfied, which might cause problems.
Chelsea has engaged in frustrating negotiations with the Portuguese powerhouses, trying to lower the price, use exchange agreements or postponed payments.
Roger Schmidt, the manager of Benfica, declared the negotiations “closed” on January 9 and accused the Blues of driving their star player “crazy” by forcing him to skip two training sessions.
Despite the fact that Chelsea has already made 15 new signings for this season, Graham Potter is still eager to add a senior midfielder to his side. Another top target is Moises Caicedo of Brighton, but the Blues’ most recent £55 million offer was turned down last week.
They might decide to borrow a midfielder in January and wait until the summer transfer window to reopen negotiations for Fernandez or Caicedo. In the attack, Chelsea has already chosen to follow suit, loaning Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid and bringing in Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig in the summer.
Malo Gusto, a 19-year-old defender for Lyon, is preferred by Chelsea above Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries, who was previously a target for them in their search for a right-back.
The adjustment was made to allow younger players to stretch out the expense of the deal over a longer period and to require them to comply with squad registration regulations. Chelsea might make a sizable offer to force the French club to sell, even though they are currently unwilling to do so.