Enzo Fernandez does not have the “pedigree” to become the Premier League ’s record signing, according to Gary Neville.
Fernandez, who helped Argentina win the World Cup last month, is determined to force through a £112million (€127m) transfer to Chelsea this month. Chelsea are in talks with Benfica over the 21-year-old midfielder, with the Portuguese club determined to hold out and see his buyout clause paid in full.
Chelsea are hoping to structure the deal in instalments over the length of a five-year contract which would keep them inside UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. Nevertheless, a £112m price tag would make Fernandez the most expensive player in Premier League history, eclipsing the £100m Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in the summer of 2021.
Former Manchester United defender Neville thinks the deal would be a huge risk for Chelsea, given Fernandez has only made 25 appearances for Benfica since his summer move from River Plate.
“Are Chelsea paying €127m for Enzo Fernandez? That’s one hell of a price. A very good player but bloody hell!” Neville wrote on Twitter. The replies quickly built up from fans who pointed out the lack of an objection from Neville to similarly expensive deals by United.
Asked about their £85.5m signing of Antony from Ajax in the summer and the record £89m deal for Paul Pogba in 2016, Neville responded: “Agree with Anthony [sic] ( he’s a lot to do to get to 95m price tag ). Pogba had pedigree when he signed for United so not comparable.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! Do you agree with Gary Neville, or is Enzo Fernandez worth the risk? Comment below.
Pogba’s move from Juventus back to United in 2016 was a world-record transfer fee at the time. He was 23 at the time and was hailed as “one of the best players in the world” by manager Jose Mourinho after helping Juventus win four successive Serie A titles.
Chelsea were taken over by a consortium fronted by American billionaire Todd Boehly in may. The club splashed over £250m in the summer transfer window to sign Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Carney Chukwuemeka.
That spurge means they are already on UEFA’s Watch List over FFP concerns, but they are busy trying to improve Graham Potter’s squad in January. They gave a medical to 18-year-old Vasco de Gama midfielder Andrey Santos on Saturday, Molde striker David Datro Fofana has also been sealed and the Blues are also closing in on a £35m deal to sign Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile.
Chelsea are eighth in the Premier League after being held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day. They are seven points adrift of United in fourth and have won just one of their last seven league matches.
