Chelsea held direct talks with €25m midfielder before finalizing Enzo Fernandez deal

Chelsea were locked in negotiations for hours on the transfer deadline day as they pushed to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica. In the end, Behdad Eghbali and co managed to get the deal over the line but they also briefly looked at Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.

Chelsea had just one goal throughout the transfer deadline day – to sign Fernandez. The Blues tried to sign Fernandez at the start of the winter transfer window but the deal collapsed as Benfica were not interested in any other deal except the release clause being paid. Chelsea and Fernandez had reached an agreement on personal terms and the Argentine was ready to go to Stamford Bridge.

After evaluating alternative options in Amadou Onana and Moises Caicedo, CFC made one final push to sign the 22 year old midfielder. On transfer deadline day, Chelsea had submitted a €120 million bid for Fernandez, with the amount being equivalent to the player’s release clause. However, the Blues were to pay this amount in installments and Benfica president Manuel Rui Costa was in no mood to accept such an offer.

His stance was clear – ‘release clause or nothing’. After persuasion from Eghabli who was leading the Chelsea contingent in the Fernandez negotiations, a deal was finally struck as Eghbali wouldn’t take no for an answer. Paperwork was completed in time and Fernandez was unveiled as a Chelsea player.

Chelsea explored the idea to sign Sofyan Amrabat before sealing Enzo Fernandez transfer

On transfer deadline day, for a brief period it seemed as though negotiations would fail but CFC kept on pursuing. According to Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea also explored the option of signing Fiorentina midfielder Amrabat on transfer deadline day before sealing the Fernandez transfer.

Direct contacts between the Serie A club and Chelsea took place but the Italians were never going to accept a loan proposal for the 26 year old. Ultimately, the Blues succeeded in signing their top transfer target.

Amrabat was also a target for Barcelona but Fiorentina wouldn’t sanction a loan with an option to buy in the summer as they demanded an obligation to buy clause. The 26 year old was part of Morocco’s magical semifinal journey in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and has attracted a lot of attention since his eye-catching performances for his country.

Chelsea might look for another midfielder in the summer as N’Golo Kante’s deal expires at the end of the season and contract talks could go either way. If Amrabat is available in the summer, CFC might fancy him as he is valued at €25 million.

Should CFC sign Sofyan Amrabat in the summer?