Chelsea are set to make a renewed push to sign Enzo Fernandez as the club look to sign a midfielder before the transfer deadline.
Chelsea made an approach to sign the Benfica midfielder earlier in the transfer window but failed to find an agreement with the Portuguese side, who are insistent that Fernandez will not leave for less than his £106m release clause this month.
Benfica were critical of Chelsea’s pursuit of Fernandez earlier this month, with manager Roger Schmidt having slammed the Premier League side over their ‘disrespectful’ attempts to sign the 21-year-old.
Fernandez was made a top target at Chelsea following his role in Argentina’s World Cup success during the winter, having been named as the tournament’s Best Young Player in Qatar.
He is understood to be keen on a move to the Premier League, despite having only arrived in Lisbon from River Plate last summer and the Guardian are reporting that Chelsea will make a fresh approach to agree a deal.
Chelsea are considering alternatives as Graham Potter looks to freshen his midfield options and saw a £55m bid for Moises Caicedo turned down by Brighton last week.
The Seagulls are reluctant to lose the midfielder this month, but are assessing the market for potential replacements in the event a suitable offer arrives.
Chelsea are also admirers of Caicedo’s Brighton teammate, Alexis Mac Allister, with Potter having worked with both players at the Amex Stadium.
