Enzo Fernandez starts for Benfica in their Primeira Liga game against Braga despite intense transfer speculation linking him to a move to Chelsea. The 21-year-old only returned back from the World Cup earlier this week after lifting the trophy with Argentina.
Since the tournament ended, Chelsea have quickly stepped up their attempts to sign the midfielder and made their intentions perfectly clear, sending new technical director Christopher Vivell to open official talks. Fernandez has a massive £105million release clause in his contract but football.london understands Chelsea are willing to pay that fee to secure him.
Having only moved to Portugal in the summer, Benfica are set to make a huge profit on their star player, although they want to keep him at the Stad de Luz until the summer at least. They issued a statement the night before their match which read: "We insist saying that our intention is to keep Enzo here until the end of the season."
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It is reported that significant progress was made towards agreeing a deal for the player on the day of the Braga match, with Fernandez keen on a move to Chelsea if he is to leave. Direct talks between the sides have since started, with Todd Boehly attempting a serious January coup that would make Fernandez the most expensive player in Premier League history.
Despite the attention towards him, Fernandez was selected to start the game. Benfica are top after 13 matches with a five-point gap to second placed Porto having played a game less. Braga sit third but can move to within one point of Porto with a win, making it an important game and vital decision to pick their star man.
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