Chelsea sign Enzo Fernandez from benfice

Chelsea have signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica after meeting the midfielder's €121 million ($131m) release clause, the Portuguese side announced on January 31.

A statement from Benfica confirmed that a deal had been reached between the clubs over how Chelsea would pay the release fee for the 22-year-old, who has signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract, per ESPN.

The deal breaks the previous Premier League record fee of £100m ($124 m) that Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish when he joined from Aston Villa in 2021.

Chelsea were still to confirm the deal, but according to reports in England the paperwork had been submitted on time and before the transfer deadline at 2300 GMT on January 31.

The 22-year-old impressed for Argentina as they won the 2022 World Cup and was named the Young Player of the Tournament.

ESPN reported on February 1 that Fernandez had already agreed on personal terms with Chelsea and were pushing the Portuguese club hard to reach an agreement with the Blues.

He becomes Chelsea's seventh signing of a busy January transfer window, following the arrivals of Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto.