Todd Boehly is personally driving Chelsea’s last-ditch attempt to sign Enzo Fernandez as he fears rival clubs will launch summer moves for the World Cup winner.
It was reported on Sunday that Chelsea had revived their interest in Fernandez and were preparing a new offer to present to Portuguese side Benfica.
The Premier League club, who have spent more than £400m on new signings since Boehly took over, were strongly linked with a move for Fernandez earlier in the window but talks broke down.
Benfica were adamant Fernandez was not for sale and their stance has not changed despite Chelsea’s willingness to spend around 120m euros and even include a current Blues player in the deal.
Chelsea have not been put off by Benfica’s stance, however, and are ready to ‘go big’ and pay ‘crazy money’ to bring Fernandez to Stamford Bridge, according to Fabrizio Romano.
It is claimed Boehly is heavily invested in the deal and is keen to be part of the negotiations as he fears Chelsea will face more competition for Fernandez if they wait until the summer.
Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Manchester City and Liverpool have previously been linked with Fernandez, who has established himself as one of the brightest midfielders in Europe this season.
Fernandez is open to joining Chelsea before the January transfer window closes but does not want to agitate Benfica or the club’s fans.
If he moves to Stamford Bridge, Fernandez will join a Chelsea team sitting 10th in the Premier League, 10 points outside the Champions League places.
The Blues have also been linked with a move for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, who has been the subject of multiple Arsenal bids this week.
Discussing Caicedo’s future after Brighton’s FA Cup win over Liverpool on Sunday, Seagulls boss Roberto de Zerbi said: ‘I would like him to finish the season with us.
‘[Brighton chairman] Tony Bloom knows very well my opinion. We lost [Leandro] Trossard and if we also lose Caicedo it’s a problem for us if we want to fight for Europe. If we don’t lose Caicedo we are ready to fight.’
SOURCE: metro.co.uk
