Chelsea seal British-record transfer deal for Enzo Fernandez

The Blues have eclipsed the £100 million fee Manchester City paid to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in 2021.

Benfica have confirmed the sale of Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for a British-record fee of €121 million (£107m).

Shortly after Tuesday’s transfer deadline passed, Benfica released a statement to announce Fernandez’s exit, stating they had sold all rights of the player to Chelsea for a €121 million fee.

The 22-year-old midfielder only joined the Portuguese club last July from River Plate for a reported €44.5 million. He entered the spotlight at the World Cup, playing a key role’s Argentina’s triumph. His performances earned him the Young Player of the Tournament award.

At the time of writing, Chelsea are yet to release a statement of their own to acknowledge the transfer.

Fernandez is the seventh new signing at Stamford Bridge this winter after Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile, and Malo Gusto.

Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix has also joined the Premier League club on a six-month loan deal.

According to Transfermarkt, Chelsea spent €329.5 million in the January transfer window. This takes the club’s total expenditure for the 2022/23 season to €611.5 million under new owner Todd Boehly. They have signed 16 new players in total.