Chelsea break British transfer record with deal for Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez
Chelsea beat the clock in the final minutes of the transfer window with the Blues breaking the British transfer record by signing Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.
The 22-year-old midfielder has signed a deal that will run until 2031, with Chelsea paying £106.8million (121m euros) for the Argentina World Cup winner.
Announcing the deal, Benfica said: “In a statement sent to the Securities Market Commission (CMVM) at 12:13am this Wednesday, February 1, Sport Lisboa e Benfica – Futebol, SAD informed that it reached an agreement with Chelsea FC for the sale of all the rights of the player Enzo Fernandez, for a sum of 121 million euros.
“Benfica SAD also explained that Chelsea FC will have the right to retain the solidarity mechanism of 3.78 per cent for subsequent distribution to the clubs that participated in the player’s training.
“Additionally, Benfica SAD will incur charges for intermediation services of 6.56 per cent of the sale value deducted from the solidarity amount and will also have to deliver to River Plate the amount corresponding to 25 per cent of the transfer value deducted from the solidarity amounts and intermediation services.”
The Fernandez deal took Chelsea’s spending since last summer past the £550m barrier and broke the previous British transfer record, set by Manchester City following the signing of Jack Grealish for £100m in August 2021.
After hearing of their latest new signing, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan accused Chelsea of “spending like drunken sailors”.
Jordan said on talkSPORT: “The top six clubs, which Chelsea aren’t but in their minds they are… and they’re certainly spending like one, they’re spending like drunken sailors!
“Chelsea will have accounted for, in these two transfer markets, nearly 25% of the entire spend in this country!”
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