Chelsea have been working hard to secure a deal for Enzo Fernandez over the last few days and now in the dying hours of Deadline Day, a new update has emerged from a reliable source.
What’s the latest?
According to The Daily Telegraph journalist Matt Law, Chelsea have not reached an agreement to sign the Benfica midfielder as of yet.
Law tweeted: “Told Chelsea and Benfica have come closer to each other re a structure and agreement for Fernandez deal and Chelsea still trying hard but no agreement yet. Remains hope it will be done in time for deadline but if not could also be agreed for the summer.“
Steven Gerrard repeat
The news that a deal has still not been agreed upon will be worrying for the Stamford Bridge faithful as the transfer deadline at 11pm fast approaches and Todd Boehly must now do everything to make sure that a deal gets over the line otherwise he could’ve effectively weakened the already light Chelsea midfield.
Jorginho moved to Arsenal today, so the fact that the club has allowed one of their only fit midfielders to leave when a replacement may not be feasible until the summer could be a huge blow.
As such, the club could well be heading for a Steven Gerrard repeat by missing out on their top midfield target this evening.
Indeed, the former Liverpool captain famously rejected a move to west London after a lot of deliberation back in 2005 – even supposedly handing in a transfer request before a deal fell through.
He was a young midfielder who could’ve transformed the Blues and become a key component in Jose Mourinho’s success, just like Fernandez could be under Graham Potter. However, despite the player’s desires, a move may not be possible in January.
The 22-year-old World Cup winner only made the move to Benfica last summer but has proven already that he is one of the hottest prospects in European football ranking in the top 10% of his positional peers for progressive passes, shot-creating actions, passes attempted, assists and shots in total.
With that in mind, it’s not just the transfer saga that seemingly echoes Gerrard, with his attacking intricacies mirroring the former Liverpool star too.
It’s evident the signing of Fernandez would be a huge coup in Potter’s project to reignite Chelsea’s season with the side currently ten points adrift from a Champions League qualifying spot inside the top four.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see how far Chelsea will go to get this deal done in the final hours, however, if they don’t it will be a huge disappointment for the club who have put all of their eggs into Benfica’s basket in their final opportunity to strengthen the centre of the pitch.