So, it's complete. Enzo Fernandez is a Chelsea player. It's a deal for much of January looked an impossible one to make - the Blues looked to other players but when all was said and done on transfer deadline day, an agreement was reached.
Fernandez's arrival at Chelsea was more than a month in the making. While the World Cup winner tasted success in Qatar, he had only called Benfica his home for less than half a year, marking a quick rise after establishing himself at River Plate in 2021/22.
Fernandez had not even finished celebrating by the time Chelsea decided they were prepared to break their transfer record to secure the signing of the 22-year-old. Blues representatives told counterparts at Benfica that they would be willing to match the £105million release clause before January had even arrived.
READ MORE: Chelsea's record £106.7m Enzo Fernandez transfer broken down and how much money all parties get
However, from the outset it was apparent that Chelsea had a desire to pay the fee in instalments as opposed to a one-off sum. A point that would linger for the remainder of the window.
Several rounds of talks were held in an attempt to come to an agreement but in the early stages of the month Benfica were left frustrated. Chelsea were unwilling to pay the fee upfront and it appears the club felt there was a level of disrespect.
"We do not want to sell him, neither I nor the president," said head coach Roger Schmidt. "We know that there is a release clause and if he wants to leave and someone pays that clause, then maybe we lose the player.
"There is a club that wants him, they tried to attract him, but they know that they can only have him if they pay the clause. It’s disrespectful to all of us, to Benfica, they’re driving the player crazy, they pretend they want to pay the clause and then they want to negotiate. About Enzo is all I’m going to say and I’m not going to answer any more questions about it."
The Blues looked at other avenues in a bid to strengthen their midfield and an offer was rejected for Moises Caicedo as they looked at alternatives. In the end, as the month entered its final week it became clear Chelsea would return with another proposal.
The clubs held a further meeting on the eve of transfer deadline day with Chelsea holding renewed confidence heading into it. At this stage Fernandez was understood to want to join Chelsea before the end of the window, despite the well-documented stance of Benfica president Rui Costa who presented his side as unwilling to proceed without the release clause.
However, negotiations continued, speculation around a private jet arriving in Lisbon from Farnborough emerged and still the wait went on. Chelsea are said to have ended that day having tabled an offer football.london understood to be worth in excess of the £105million release clause in the midfielder's contract.
Deadline day saw ups and downs for Chelsea supporters with Portuguese press seemingly having been briefed that a negative outcome awaited. There had been confidence at Chelsea but as the wait extended on Tuesday, understandable concerns emerged as the clock ticked on.
The structure of payments remained the sticking point but renewed hope was offered to onlookers as the decision was made for Fernandez to undergo his medical in Lisbon. Before 10pm had even hit the clubs had agreed a deal.
It had been an intensive day of discussions, led on the Chelsea side by co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali from London, and now once again the wait was on to see the deal confirmed by the deadline. No formal announcement arrived by the Premier League's 11pm deadline but Schmidt had been informed of it's success.
Speaking to Sport TV after Benfica's 3-0 win over Arouca, the German coach explained: "We talked about it [with Rui Costa], the deal is done, it's part of football but what matters is Benfica. Today I'm not going to talk about players who are no longer here."
Eventually, past midnight, Benfica made their announcement to the stock market, while Chelsea remained quiet. With the deal done, there was little reason to rush their presentation, though an Argentinean flag and trophy emerged in the bio of their social channels.
The Blues confirmed the news that Fernandez was a Chelsea player on Wednesday morning but without much of the pomp and circumstance associated with unveilings. That was all still to come with the young midfielder only flying to London in the afternoon.
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