Chelsea confident British record £105million bid for Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez will be accepted as Benfica boss makes admission

01/30/2023 12:42 PM

Chelsea are confident their latest offer for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez will be accepted, talkSPORT understands. The Blues have been in pursuit of the Argentine star after his impressive displays at the World Cup and are keen to add him to the squad this month. Chelsea have long been in the pursuit of Enzo FernandezGetty They had an approach for him turned earlier in the month and there was a belief that the move wouldn’t happen, but Chelsea have renewed their interest. talkSPORT understands that Graham Potter’s side are now set to make a record bid by a British club of £105million to sign Fernandez with a big up front fee and five further smaller instalments. Chelsea are confident of getting a deal over the line for the player and negotiations are ongoing about the structure of the payment that will be made to Benfica. Fernandez has already agreed personal terms with Chelsea. And Benfica boss Roger Schmidt admitted that the Portuguese club could be powerless in their bid to keep hold of the 22-year-old. “While the transfer window is open, we have to be prepared for anything,” Schmidt has been quoted saying by A Bola. “We all know that there is this situation with Enzo, who has a release clause and, if there is a club that pays it, it is a lot of money, we cannot prevent it. Most read in Football Chelsea confident of completing £105m Fernandez deal, Everton make £45m Gallagher bid Gallagher wanted by Premier League trio, Arsenal turn to Tielemans, Adams not for sale Man United had beaten Arsenal to deal but then Real Madrid ruined everything with one call Ronaldo invites four Man United stars on holiday to say goodbye properly after exit Ex-Spurs star tells Daniel Levy to 'get out the club' if Pedro Porro not signed Gordon's heartfelt message to fans is in stark contrast to blunt Everton statement Fernandez caught Chelsea’s eye at the World CupGetty Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has already signed seven players in JanuaryRichard Pelham / The Sun “We all know that there is this situation with Enzo, who has a release clause and, if there is a club that pays it, it is a lot of money, we cannot prevent it. “If that happens, we will have to be prepared and find solutions. At the moment, Enzo is still our player and we’ll see what happens until the end of the market. “When the transfer window closes I will be very happy, we will be able to focus completely again on playing in the best way until the end of the season. “He’s our player and he has all the support. As I said before, he is a great person and a great player. “While the market is open you always have to wait for something to happen, we know how the football business works. That’s all I can say on this subject.” Keep up to date with all the latest news, rumours and gossip with our LIVE transfer blog