Chelsea transfer target Enzo Fernandez has potentially dropped a major hint over his future at Benfica by missing two training sessions on Monday. The 21-year-old midfielder has been made priority No. 1 by Todd Boehly for the January transfer window as Graham Potter's midfield looks set to be greeted with a welcome overhaul.
Fernandez returned from his World Cup heroics with Argentina last week to feature in Benfica's 3-0 Liga NOS defeat to Braga. Amid intense speculation linking him with a switch to west London, Fernandez was handed a start from the off by Roger Schmidt and lasted 89 minutes.
Now the window is officially open, negotiations between the two parties are set to continue as Boehly aims to improve Potter’s squad. However, there remains the stumbling block of the player's £106million release clause and it's understood that Chelsea are keen to avoid paying the substantial fee in one payment.
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On the evening that Benoit Badiashile agreed personal terms with the Blues, it was reported by Portuguese outlet Record that Fernandez was absent from two separate Benfica training sessions on Monday. It's understood that the midfield maestro flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, following the Braga game to spend the New Year with his family, despite not receiving permission from the club.
As a result of his absence, Fernandez is set to be dealt a heavy fine and an ultimatum to report back to the club. As a result of him missing Monday's training, it appears unlikely that Fernandez will feature in Friday night's league game with Portimonense.
Fernandez may have been regularly linked with a move to Chelsea. But as Liverpool and Atletico Madrid have found out in the past, Benfica are no pushovers when it comes to selling their star players.
Atletico paid £110million for Joao Felix in 2019, while Liverpool splashed out £85million for Darwin Nunez last summer. Chelsea are expected to strengthen in a number of positions this month, meaning a different pay structure may be required to secure the Argentinian's services.
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