Chelsea have reportedly submitted a fresh bid for Enzo Fernandez that would break the British transfer record.
The Blues pursuit of Fernandez has been one of the more prominent stories of the January transfer window, with Benfica having already rejected a number of offers from the West London club earlier this month.
However, despite having already spent almost £500 million since Todd Boehly’s takeover of the club last summer – including around £200m this month alone – it looks as though their spending spree is set to continue as they appear determined to land Fernandez.
So far, Benfica have insisted that the World Cup winner will not be leaving unless his €120 million release clause is paid, though The Athletic are reporting that Chelsea have now made a bid that appears to meet that clause.
The bid, said to be worth £105 million, would eclipse the British transfer record that Manchester City set when they paid Aston Villa £100m for Jack Grealish 18 months ago, and would represent a significant profit on the £10 million that Benfica paid River Plate in the summer.
Personal terms are not expected to be an issue for Chelsea should a deal be finalised, though there are little over 24 hours remaining until the transfer window closes at 11pm (GMT) on Tuesday night.
Chelsea have already signed Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashille, Noni Madueke, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos this month, while they have also completed a deal to sign Malo Gusto from Lyon, who will join the club in the summer.
Meanwhile, the Blues have received a bid of £45 million from Everton for midfielder Conor Gallagher.
