Chelsea has made a British record transfer by signing 22-year-old midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £106.8m. This surpasses the previous record of £100m paid by Manchester City for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa 18 months prior. Enzo has signed an 8 and a half year contract with Chelsea.
Chelsea has set a new British transfer record by acquiring 22-year-old midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £106.8m.
This beats Manchester City's previous record of £100m for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. Enzo, who only joined Benfica for £10m last summer, has signed a long-term 8 and a half year contract with Chelsea until 2031. The club has yet to officially announce the signing, but teased fans with a video on Twitter.
Chelsea had been negotiating for the acquisition of World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez throughout January, but Benfica held firm on their demand for Chelsea to pay the €120m release clause.
Chelsea will make an initial payment of £30m, with the remainder of the fee to be paid in 5 installments.
Enzo Fernandez was excluded from Benfica's lineup for their match against Arouca on Tuesday, as he underwent a medical in Portugal for his move to Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernandez's stats show his potential impact. Despite only being mid-way through his first season at Benfica, he has the second-most assists in the Primeira Liga, and has created 30 chances for his team. This kind of playmaking caught the attention of Manchester City and Real Madrid, who sought to sign him from his boyhood club River Plate last summer before he moved to Lisbon. No one in the Portuguese league has made more passes than him, and if he replaces Jorginho at Stamford Bridge, he would also offer more in the final third where he leads in passes. Fernandez can also fit into a two-man midfield, as he has already taken on a defensive role at Benfica, ranking high in tackles and ball recoveries in the middle third.
Portuguese broadcaster SIC reports that Fernandez will fly to the UK on Wednesday morning via a private jet, with the flight scheduled to leave Lisbon airport at 10:20 AM.
How is Chelsea able to spend over £323m in this transfer window while staying within Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations? The UEFA FFP regulations aim to limit excessive spending and the Premier League also sets a limit on losses a club can incur over three years. Fines or points deductions may be imposed on clubs that violate these rules. Despite Chelsea's £106.8m signing of Fernandez, co-owner Todd Boehly's £600m spending since the takeover in May 2022, the club seems to have remained within the FFP guidelines.
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