Chelsea have signed midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record £106.8m.
The deal for the Argentine surpasses the £100m Manchester Metropolis paid for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa 18 months in the past.
The 22-year-old, who solely joined Benfica final summer time for round £10m, has signed an eight-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge to maintain him on the membership till the summer time of 2031.
Chelsea had been in talks to signal the World Cup winner all through January, however Benfica had refused to do enterprise until the Blues paid his €120m launch clause.
However Chelsea agreed a deal of €121m at 9.15pm on Deadline Day after 12 hours of talks led by Chelsea’s co-owner Behdad Eghbali from London.
The Blues can pay a primary instalment of £30m with the remainder of the charge paid in 5 additional instalments.
Fernandez was omitted of Benfica’s squad for his or her recreation in opposition to Arouca on Tuesday night time, with the 22-year-old present process a medical in Portugal forward of his change to Stamford Bridge.
Fernandez is Chelsea’s eighth signing of the January window
In line with Portuguese broadcaster SIC, Fernandez will fly to the UK on Wednesday morning, with a personal jet scheduled to depart Lisbon airport at 10.20am.
Fernandez will assist to exchange Jorginho, who joined Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal on Deadline Day in a £12m deal.
How a lot did Chelsea spend in January?
Following the arrival of Fernandez, Chelsea spent £323.3m in January. Listed below are the offers the Blues made:
- Benoit Badiashile – Monaco, £35m
- David Datro Fofana – Molde, undisclosed (reported £10m deal)
- Andrey Santos – Vasco da Gama, undisclosed (reported £18m deal)
- Joao Felix – Atletico Madrid, £9.7m mortgage
- Mykhailo Mudryk – Shakhtar Donetsk, £88.5m
- Noni Madueke – PSV Eindhoven, £29m
- Malo Gusto – Lyon, £26.3m
- Enzo Fernandez – Benfica, £106.8m
Analysis: What Fernandez will bring to Chelsea
Sky Sports activities’ Ron Walker:
“Fernandez’s attributes make it clear how he might help. Nonetheless solely midway by way of his first season with Benfica, he has racked up the second-most assists within the Primeira Liga, and created 30 possibilities for his team-mates – a few of them notably eye-catching, and a surprising pinpoint set-up for Goncalo Ramos in opposition to Sporting earlier this month maybe the choose of the bunch.
“It’s that form of playmaking potential which had Manchester Metropolis and Actual Madrid taken with bringing him in from boyhood facet River Plate final summer time earlier than he settled on a transfer to Lisbon.
“Nobody within the Portuguese prime flight has made extra passes than the Argentine, and if he does show to exchange Jorginho at Stamford Bridge, he can even present one thing additional within the remaining third the place he tops the charts for passes too.
“Ought to Chelsea wish to play with a midfield two, he would supply a greater possibility there too. Fernandez has already taken accountability with out the ball at Benfica, slotting into an anchorman function recurrently as required. He has been one of many league’s prime tacklers, and solely 10 gamers throughout the division have received the ball again extra within the center third regardless of his appreciable output additional up the pitch.”
