Chelsea have been praised by Fabrizio Romano for doing “incredible” work to finally clinch the transfer of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.
Writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column on Substack, Romano explained that it took the Blues 20 consecutive hours of negotiations before finally making a breakthrough on this deal.
Fernandez has established himself as one of the finest young players in world football in recent times, showing some superb form for Benfica and also playing a key role for Argentina as they won the 2022 World Cup.
The 22-year-old looks ideal for Chelsea’s needs right now, with Jorginho having just left to join Arsenal, while the ageing N’Golo Kante is nearing the end of his contract.
Benfica were clearly not easy to negotiate with, but Romano has praised the work of Chelsea to keep on pushing and finally reach an agreement with the Portuguese giants for an important signing of a top player.
“Chelsea did an incredible work to get Enzo Fernandez deal signed,” Romano said.
“It took 20 consecutive hours of negotiations, Enzo was a big ally of Chelsea into this deal and this is how they convinced Benfica to sell.
“The price is €121m paid in 6 instalments, contract until 2031 – a very big deal.”