Chelsea send private jet to Lisbon in hope of tying up £115m Enzo Fernandez deal before the Tuesday night’s transfer deadline

31/01/2023 14:49

Chelsea have stepped up their deadline day swoop for Enzo Fernandez by sending a private jet to Lisbon to finalise the transfer. The Blues submitted a bid worth up to £115 for the Argentina international, but are awaiting a response from Benfica. Chelsea are ready to smash the British transfer record to land FernandezGetty It has been a whirlwind year for the player, who only moved to Europe from Argentine giants River Plate in the summerGetty If Chelsea are successful in landing the World Cup winner it would smash the British transfer record for a player – currently held by Manchester City’s Jack Grealish. With time running out to secure Fernandez’s services, Chelsea still are optimistic of securing a deal with the Portuguese giants. Not only have Chelsea met the terms of his release clause but they have also put measures in place to whisk the 21-year-old back to west London according to Jim White. The talkSPORT host explained on Tuesday morning: “Members of Chelsea’s medical staff are in Lisbon, a plane is in Lisbon. They are ready to get this done and fly the boy over here. Chelsea may have to be patient up until the final moments of the window to land their man. Benfica’s lack of response to the offer may suggest the club are mulling over their next step but as it stands, there is still no breakthrough for the Blues. Todd Boehly hopes Chelsea can get the Fernandez deal over line before the end of the transfer windowGetty Most read in Football Arsenal agree £12m Jorginho deal, Chelsea eye record Fernandez move, Cancelo joins Bayern Chelsea signed forward who spent eight hours completing Spurs medical in brutal lesson Man United had beaten Arsenal to deal but then Real Madrid ruined everything with one call FA Cup fifth round draw: Date, time, ball numbers and talkSPORT coverage Arsenal fan Woods captures moment she ruined O'Hara's day with Spurs transfer news Sean Dyche confirmed as next Everton manager as he succeeds Frank Lampard at Goodison Park With his release clause having been met, Fernandez can push through the deal to move to Chelsea with reports claiming the player has already urged Benfica to accept the offer. He has been left out of the Benfica squad to take on Arouca on Tuesday night, after missing training on Monday. If he does move, it will cap a whirlwind year for Fernandez, who joined Benfica from River Plate in the summer for just under £9m and then played a starring role in Argentina’s World Cup success. Keep up to date with all the latest news, rumours and gossip with our LIVE transfer blog