Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea sign midfielder in £106.8m British-record transfer deal from Benfica

Chelsea person signed midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record £106.8m.

The woody for the Argentine surpasses the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa 18 months ago.

The 22-year-old, who lone joined Benfica past summertime for astir £10m, has signed an eight-and-a-half-year woody astatine Stamford Bridge to support him astatine the nine until the summertime of 2031.

• Enzo Fernandez - Benfica to Chelsea, January 2023 - £106.8m
• Jack Grealish - Aston Villa to Manchester City, summertime 2021 - £100m
• Romelu Lukaku - Inter Milan to Chelsea, summertime 2021 - £97.5m
• Romelu Lukaku - Everton to Manchester United, summertime 2017 - £90m
• Paul Pogba - Juventus to Manchester United, summertime 2016 - £89m
• Mykhailo Mudryk - Shakhtar Donetsk to Chelsea, January 2022 - £88.5m

Chelsea had been successful talks to motion the World Cup victor passim January, but Benfica had refused to bash concern unless the Blues paid his €120m merchandise clause.

But Chelsea agreed a woody of €121m astatine 9.15pm connected Deadline Day aft 12 hours of talks led by Chelsea's co-owner Behdad Eghbali from London.

The Blues volition wage a archetypal instalment of £30m with the remainder of the interest paid successful 5 further instalments.

Fernandez was near retired of Benfica's squad for their crippled against Arouca connected Tuesday night, with the 22-year-old undergoing a aesculapian successful Portugal up of his power to Stamford Bridge.

According to Portuguese broadcaster SIC, Fernandez volition alert to the UK connected Wednesday morning, with a backstage pitchy scheduled to permission Lisbon airdrome astatine 10.20am.

Fernandez volition assistance to replace Jorginho, who joined Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal connected Deadline Day in a £12m deal.

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Sky Sports' Ron Walker:

"Fernandez's attributes marque it wide however helium tin help. Still lone halfway done his archetypal play with Benfica, helium has racked up the second-most assists successful the Primeira Liga, and created 30 chances for his team-mates - immoderate of them peculiarly eye-catching, and a stunning pinpoint set-up for Goncalo Ramos against Sporting earlier this period possibly the prime of the bunch.

"It is that benignant of playmaking imaginable which had Manchester City and Real Madrid funny successful bringing him successful from boyhood broadside River Plate past summertime earlier helium settled connected a determination to Lisbon.

"No 1 successful the Portuguese apical formation has made much passes than the Argentine, and if helium does beryllium to regenerate Jorginho astatine Stamford Bridge, helium volition besides supply thing other successful the last 3rd wherever helium tops the charts for passes too.

"Should Chelsea privation to play with a midfield two, helium would connection a amended enactment determination too. Fernandez has already taken work without the shot astatine Benfica, slotting into an anchorman relation regularly arsenic required. He has been 1 of the league's apical tacklers, and lone 10 players crossed the part person won the shot backmost much successful the mediate 3rd contempt his sizeable output further up the pitch."

Read the afloat diagnostic here

How overmuch did Chelsea walk successful January?

Following the accomplishment of Fernandez, Chelsea spent £323.3m successful January. Here are the deals the Blues made:

• Benoit Badiashile - Monaco, £35m
• David Datro Fofana - Molde, undisclosed (reported £10m deal)
• Andrey Santos - Vasco da Gama, undisclosed (reported £18m deal)
• Joao Felix - Atletico Madrid, £9.7m loan
• Mykhailo Mudryk - Shakhtar Donetsk, £88.5m
• Noni Madueke - PSV Eindhoven, £29m
• Malo Gusto - Lyon, £26.3m
• Enzo Fernandez - Benfica, £106.8m

Chelsea person splashed implicit £323m successful this January transportation model aft completing a British grounds woody for Benfica's Enzo Fernandez - truthful however are they capable to walk specified immense sums and enactment wrong Financial Fair Play rules?

The UEFA FFP regulations are designed to bounds excessive spending and determination are besides Premier League rules which enactment a headdress connected the losses a nine tin endure implicit a three-year period. Large fines oregon points deductions tin beryllium dished retired arsenic punishment to clubs which don't adhere to the rules.

But with the Blues agreeing a £106.8m transportation for Fernandez, caller Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly volition person overseen a walk £600m since the takeover successful May 2022 - and they look to person stayed wrong the guidelines.

Football concern adept Kieran Maguire spoke to Sky Sports News to explain.