Chelsea and Benfica have reached a deal over the transfer of rising superstar midfielder Enzo Fernandez, according CBS soccer insider Fabrizio Romano. The Argentina international, winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup with his country, heads to London in a move surpassing $130 million, a Premier League record, pending a medical set to be completed ahead of the deadline in Portugal.
The 22-year-old former River Plate man has seen his stock rise astronomically, lasting just half a season with the Portuguese giants. Fernandez won the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award in Qatar after helping solidify the champions' midfield, putting together brilliant performance after brilliant performance on the biggest of stages. He also played a vital role in Benfica winning their Champions League group, where they will play Club Brugge in the round of 16.
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Fernandez is a deep-lying midfielder with the ability to play both ends of the pitch. Possessing the ability to play attacking or defensive midfielder, he's a player who likes to stay centrally and possesses the stamina and speed to quickly transition. An accurate, quick passer that knows how to get the ball precisely into space, he is also a committed tackler with the aggression needed to defend against the quick, skillful players in the Premier League. He showed off his attacking prowess at the World Cup by scoring a beauty in Argentina's second game against Mexico, his lone goal for the national team, following it up with a cheeky assist in the third game to Julian Alvarez in the win over Poland. Fernandez started the World Cup final, which Argentina won in penalty kicks over France, 4-2, following the game ending 3-3 after extra time.
As for Chelsea, he's the latest bit of business for a team that has been spending money like it grows on trees under the ownership of American Todd Boehly. This season, the Blues are through to the round of 16 in the Champions League, where they will face Dortmund. They are currently in 10th in the Premier League with an 8-5-7 record, 10 points out of the top four. Chelsea are currently coached by Graham Potter, who was hired in September after the sacking of Thomas Tuchel.
