Chelsea are finally set to get their man. Enzo Fernandez is expected to become the Blues eighth arrival of the January transfer window for a club-record £105million transfer from Benfica.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali had spent the previous two days locked in talks with the Portuguese side over securing Fernandez's services. The World Cup winner was the priority signing at the beginning of the month but Benfica's reluctance to allow the 22-year-old to leave below his release clause meant Chelsea pondered alternatives.
A £55million bid for Moises Caicedo was swiftly turned down and after adding a number of reinforcements to Graham Potter's attacking options, the Blues revived their interest in Fernandez in the final days of the transfer window.
READ MORE: Enzo Fernandez set for Chelsea transfer after club-record deal is agreed with Benfica
Fernandez will become Chelsea's most expensive transfer previously held by Romelu Lukaku's signing in 2021 for £97.5million and also makes him the most expensive signing in Premier League history - previously held at £100million.
Now the January transfer window is closed, the extended process of securing the transfer has begun. The sending of a deal sheet is vital in completing the transfer past the 11pm deadline and if Chelsea have done so, there is no reason to worry just yet that a deal will not occur.
Following the closure of the transfer window, the Premier League confirmed that deals can still be completed past the deadline, if a deal sheet had been submitted on time.
The completion of a deal sheet is an important stage of a transfer. It allows clubs additional time to submit all other necessary documentation of a deal. When the league gives the green light to notify the sheet has been received, it allows the club until 01:00am to get the transfer completely signed off for domestic transfers, or 12am for international transfers - FIFA's cut off point.
For now, it's a waiting game for Chelsea and Fernandez.
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