Chelsea fail to get their way as ‘tense’ Enzo Fernandez talks held

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Chelsea had been hoping to agree a deal with Benfica for Enzo Fernandez in the night but are yet to do so despite ‘tense’ talks, it has been claimed. The Blues have made the Argentina international their No 1 target on transfer deadline day. However, whether they’re able to bring the World Cup star to Stamford Bridge remains up in the air.

Chelsea wanted to sign Fernandez at the start of the month, only to cool interest when it became clear Benfica wanted his release clause paid in full.

Yet they’ve now reignited their interest in the midfielder, believing they still have a shot at bringing him to the Premier League.

Chelsea are willing to pay Fernandez’s huge £105million deal but want it to be in instalments, rather than one big payment.

And Fabrizio Romano has claimed that while Todd Boehly’s side wanted to conclude the operation in the night, that’s yet to happen.

“It was again a tense night of talks as there’s still no green light from Benfica president Rui Costa to Chelsea €120m proposal,” he said on Twitter.

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“Chelsea wanted breakthrough in the night but nothing yet.

“Negotiations will continue in the morning. #DeadlineDay madness.”

Should Chelsea manage to land Fernandez, the midfielder will become the most-expensive player in Premier League history.

What bodes well is the Argentina international, who flourished as his side won the World Cup in Qatar last month, is willing to come.

But the clock is ticking and Chelsea will have to be shrewd in negotiations to get this deal over the line.

Should they miss out, it’s possible they’ll reignite interest in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.

Arsenal also want the Ecuador international, having seen two bids for the player rejected so far.

But Chelsea can financially better their rivals’ bid and also have the influence of Graham Potter, who previously managed Caicedo at Brighton.

The Blues may even try and sign both the 21-year-old and Fernandez, in what would be a sensational double swoop.

Brighton, however, remain adamant their prized asset isn’t for sale.

Benfica boss Roger Schmidt, meanwhile, has admitted his side are prepared for any potential Fernandez exit.

“I think we always have to prepare everything in the background, especially at the end of the transfer window, and especially when you are not in the driver’s seat,” he said on Monday.

“So, we all know that we have a situation with Enzo that he has a clause in the contract.

“That means if the player wants and there’s a club that pays this amount of money, you cannot stop that.

“Of course, for this moment, you have to be prepared and you have to find solutions.

“But at the moment, he is our player, he’s still there, so there is no deal.

“We will see what happens in the next two days.

“Then I’m happy when the transfer window is closed and we can focus completely on our players in the squad and we can try to play a top season.”

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