Chelsea finally confirm Fernandez signing as British transfer record smashed
helsea have officially confirmed the £106.8m signing of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, a deal which smashes the British transfer record.
Fernandez, who in December was named as the best young player at the World Cup, was the Blues’ key target in January and month-long negotiations were finally settled late on deadline day having twice earlier in the month broken down.
Benfica confirmed overnight that an agreement had been reached and the player swiftly fly to London to finalise the stunning move. Chelsea had hinted at its completion with an Argentina flag on their Instagram bio, but this morning’s statement is the first official word of Fernandez’s arrival.
Chelsea are understood to have paid €121m (£106.8m) for Fernandez, with an initial fee in the region of £34m before a number of instalments. The player has signed a contract until 2031.
Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt has since criticised the player’s stance during negotiations.
More to follow…