Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been in touch with Enzo Fernandez’s agent Jorge Mendes, according to 90min.com‘s Graeme Bailey.
The player’s club, Benfica, are, though, adamant that the Argentinian international won’t be leaving the Estadio da Luz unless his €120m (£106m) release clause is paid in full:
Benfica deny reaching agreement to sell Enzo Fernandez.
As it stands Portuguese giants won’t take an offer for their prized Argentine as they demand his full release clause. @90min_Football
https://t.co/4NAxS8bWAU— Graeme Bailey (@GraemeBailey) December 29, 2022
Fernandez is a player in high demand and Benfica look willing to dig their heels in, so it seems likely that the Reds will put this deal on the back burner for now, despite still clearly being keen on the player.
The 21-year-old’s performances at the World Cup were excellent, prompting his teammate Lionel Messi to single him out for praise:
“I know Enzo very well, here from the national team and I also played against him in the Champions League. He deserves it, because he’s a spectacular kid and a very important player for us.”
After spending an initial £37m on Cody Gakpo, you would think that Liverpool will be looking for a much cheaper option than Fernandez if they are to sign a midfielder this month.
That doesn’t rule out getting an agreement in place to sign the Argentine ahead of the summer transfer window but Benfica’s stance suggests it would be a very difficult deal to finalise.