Chelsea makes a new Enzo Fernandez bid as a new transfer deadline is imposed by UEFA.
Despite being refused by Benfica earlier this month, a January move for Enzo Fernandez could be on the cards.
Chelsea’s January transfer window chase of Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez may have taken another turn. That’s because, according to Portuguese publication Record, the Blues have made a new offer of €100 million (£87.8 million) for the 21-year-old, as well as players in the deal.
The announcement is just another twist in the drama, with the west London outfit already participating in talks earlier this month but coming to a halt. Benfica’s stance, according to reports, is the £105 million release clause in Fernandez’s contract is paid up or he won’t leave.
That agreement isn’t ideal for the Chelsea owners because release clauses are activated immediately, but other transfer deals can be negotiated to have favorable payment periods. While that is the case, Chelsea are poised to approach Benfica with another offer for Enzo Fernandez before the transfer window shuts, according to Spylax Media.
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The hierarchy may be obliged to make such a move due to a new deadline set by the European regulatory body UEFA. According to the Times, they have agreed to limit the duration of contracts that may be offered to players, capping it at five years as of the summer.
Contracts of that length were uncommon, but Chelsea routinely offered seven-year terms to its fresh young players after splashing out the cash on landing them. This is because of financial rules that prevent such spending, however thanks to amortisation – the process of depreciation over the length of a player’s contract – the Blues can reduce the financial impact year-on-year by offering larger deals and spreading the cost.
It may be a long-term solution, but there are concerns about the danger involved and if the loophole is ethical rather than legal. With UEFA preparing to change the rules for the summer, any big-money deals the club anticipates must be completed within the next week.
That implies there’s a fresh deadline for everything to go through in order to secure a trade for Fernandez.
