Chelsea bid £105.6m for Enzo Fernandez
Chelsea have bid 120m euros (£105.6m) for Benfica's Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in a move that would make him the British transfer record signing.
So far there is no indication whether the Blues' offer, thought to include instalments, will be accepted.
But if the deal goes through, it would eclipse the £100m Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in 2021.
Fernandez was named young player of the tournament during Argentina's World Cup triumph in Qatar.
Benfica have previously accused Chelsea of trying to unsettle the midfielder, with the Portuguese side's manager Roger Schmidt declaring their pursuit "closed".
However, it is not thought the Premier League club would have made a fresh offer without being given some indication it might be accepted.
Fernandez only joined Benfica from Argentinian side River Plate in August, for a reported £10m, and has scored four goals in 29 appearances for the Primeira Liga side.
He scored once during the World Cup, netting Argentina's second goal in their 2-0 group-stage win over Mexico.
Chelsea have signed Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile and Malo Gusto on permanent deals in January and brought in Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
It comes after a summer that saw them spend a Premier League record £270m - the second-highest summer spend by any club in the world after Real Madrid (£292m) in 2019.
Source: BBC
Trending Sports
Ghana paralympic team abscondment reports false: NPC Ghana sets record straight
12:29Ghana's Black Satellites return home after European tour
09:18Ghana's paralympic team absconds upon arrival in Norway
22:28Everton takeover talks with Friedkin Group called off
02:50Black Princesses trained on new amendments to the Laws of the Game
13:25Paris set for its first Olympics in 100 years
06:31Murray out of Olympic singles but will play doubles
11:29Ghanaian para-athletes scandal: I can’t take responsibility, Norwegian Embassy failed to do due diligence - Sports Minister
07:16French authorities foil several plots on the 2024 Olympics in Paris
19:232024/25 GHPL: Ghana FA announces dates and schedule
13:12