Liverpool seem to have dealt Chelsea a major blow in the race to sign Benfica wonderkid Enzo Fernandez. The 21-year-old has impressed for Argentina at the World Cup, courting the interest of several top European clubs.
Fernandez, who sees his contract with the Portuguese giants expire in 2027, has featured five times for Lionel Scaloni's side in Qatar, directly contributing towards two goals from midfield. He did not feature in each of Argentina's opening pair of World Cup clashes but has been included in each of the following three matches, which included a quarter-final win over Netherlands.
The Argentine is set to play a key role for his nation in the semi-final against Croatia on Tuesday, December 13, and, having caught the attention of the Premier League's biggest clubs, he'll be looking to continue his great vein of form. Chelsea have been credited with interest in Fernandez but the Blues face strong competition from Liverpool, who are reportedly eager to wrap up a deal.
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According to reports from Portuguese outlet Record and Spanish publication Diario AS, the youngster has reached a pre-agreement with Jurgen Klopp's side. But, as quoted by the Mirror, both titles cite that the report emerged in the other nation with neither claiming the story as their own.
With that being said, SPORT reported that Chelsea joined Liverpool in the race to sign Fernandez last month. Fabrizio Romano has outlined that the midfielder has a €120million (£103million) release clause in his contract with Benfica.
The Portuguese giants are said to have no intention to sell Fernandez, whether that be in January or the summer. But, as he continues to earn his stripes on the World stage and a bidding war brewing, saying no to an eye-watering offer could be difficult.
Nevertheless, Chelsea are in the market for a midfielder amid the uncertain futures of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante, who both see their deals at Stamford Bridge expire at the end of the season. The Blues have also been linked with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice but agreements of such are yet to be reached.
With Liverpool reportedly on the front-foot ahead of January, their 'agreement' with Fernandez comes as a wake-up call to Chelsea.
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