The deadline which Chelsea must sign Enzo Fernandez by appears to have been brought forward, with Todd Boehly set to lose out on crucial time. The Benfica star continues to be heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as Graham Potter looks to bolster his midfield.
According to The Telegraph, the Blues have reopened talks with the Portuguese giants in what seems to be one final bid before the January transfer window deadline on Tuesday evening (23:00 GMT). football.london understands that the west Londoners made the 22-year-old a priority target before the new year and they held several rounds of talks over a deal.
A move has previously collapsed when Benfica stood by their €120million (£105m) valuation, his release clause — a figure which Chelsea were not prepared to meet. But, with the club in desperate need of a new midfielder amid the uncertain futures of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho, there seems to be a fresh urgency to wrap up a deal.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly tipped to complete late Enzo Fernandez transfer as Benfica stance clear
However, the Blues could reportedly have as many as 24 fewer hours than usual to reach an agreement. The Portuguese side lock horns with Arouca on Tuesday evening at 9:15pm— just one hour and 45 minutes before the transfer window deadline.
With Benfica unlikely to negotiate with Chelsea over a deal during the game, there would not be much time for the two parties to speak after the final whistle. So, according to Ben Jacobs, if the Blues can unlock a breakthrough, all parties ideally want an ultimatum on Monday to avoid distractions on matchday.
This means that the deadline to sign Fernandez could be brought forward by a day, losing crucial time which could otherwise be spent negotiating and signing deal sheets. As early as Wednesday, head coach Roger Schmidt declared his confidence that his star player will stay with the Eagles.
"Yes, of course [I'm confident Enzo stays]. I think when you see Enzo playing at the moment for Benfica, I see a player who is on his top level, who is very happy to play for the club and I think there is nothing else in the mindset of the player.
"I don't expect that we lose any of our players who are playing a lot and who are in the starting-eleven. That's why I see very focused players and that's why I expect that he stays."
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