Enzo Fernandez, a midfielder for Benfica, has been acquired by Chelsea for a British-record £106.8 million.
The Argentine deal exceeds the £100 million Manchester City spent Aston Villa for Jack Grealish 18 months ago.
The 22-year-old, who only joined Benfica last summer for over £10 million, has committed to Stamford Bridge for eight and a half years, keeping him with the team until the summer of 2031.
![](https://newscentral.africa/wp-content/uploads/Enzo-Fernandez-Liverpool-F365-1-1024x576.jpg)
Chelsea and Benfica had been in negotiations for the World Cup champion throughout the month of January, but Benfica would not agree to a deal unless Chelsea met his €120 million release clause.
Nevertheless, after 12 hours of negotiations spearheaded by Chelsea’s co-owner Behdad Eghbali from London, the club reached a €121 million agreement at 9.15 p.m. on Deadline Day.
The first installment from the Blues will be for £30 million, with the remaining sum to be paid in five additional installments.
The 22-year-old was absent from the Benfica team for their match against Arouca on Tuesday night because he was in Portugal for a medical before moving to Stamford Bridge.
A private plane is expected to depart the airport in Lisbon at 10.20 a.m. on Wednesday to transport Fernandez to the United Kingdom.
Fernandez will help to replace Jorginho, who signed a £12 million agreement to join Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal on Deadline Day.