Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez of Benfica has been acquired by Chelsea for a British transfer record of 121 million euros (£107 million).
The agreement exceeds the £100 million that Manchester City spent on Jack Grealish in 2021.
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During Argentina’s World Cup victory in Qatar, Fernandez, who just recently joined Benfica for an estimated £10 million, was named young player of the competition.
According to the trade database Transfermarkt, Chelsea’s January spending increased to £289m with the addition of the 22-year-old.
He committed to Stamford Bridge for eight and a half years.
The deal follows a £270 million outlay in the summer, a record for a British club in the summer window, bringing their total spend under new American owner Todd Boehly to more than £550 million on 17 new players.
It is the sixth most expensive signing in history, equaling the 120 million euros paid by Barcelona for France forward Antoine Griezmann in 2019.
The most expensive signings in British football are depicted in this graph.
Fernandez, who joined Benfica from River Plate in Argentina, has four goals in 29 appearances for the Primeira Liga club.
Benfica confirmed on Tuesday night that River Plate will receive 25% of the transfer fee, which amounts to around 30 million euros.
During the World Cup, he scored Argentina’s second goal in a 2-0 group-stage win over Mexico.
“He didn’t start the World Cup, but he was absolutely crucial to Argentina winning it,” European football expert Guillem Balague added. It all comes down to his understanding of the game.
Earlier in January, Benfica accused Chelsea of trying to unsettle the midfielder, with the Portuguese side’s manager Roger Schmidt declaring their pursuit “closed”.
In January, Chelsea signed Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile, and Malo Gusto to long-term contracts.
They also signed Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
However, according to Uefa rules, Chelsea can only register three of their January signings to their Champions League squad, regardless of age, with the club set to face Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 first leg on February 15.
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After 20 games, the Blues are 10th in the Premier League, 10 points behind the competition’s Champions League places.
Last May, a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly paid £4.25 billion for the club after previous owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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