Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica after paying the player’s €121 million ($131 million) release clause, Benfica confirmed on Tuesday. The transaction, performed on transfer deadline day, broke the Premier League record for the most expensive transfer. The previous record was the £100 million paid by Manchester City to acquire Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in 2021.
While the Argentinian midfielder had already agreed on personal terms with Chelsea on Monday, the club had only submitted paperwork to Benfica to complete the transfer on Tuesday. According to reports, the Portuguese club received the paperwork on time, just before the transfer deadline at 2300 GMT on Tuesday.
Fernandez joined Benfica from the Argentinian side River Plate in 2022, playing 29 games and grabbing four goals and seven assists for the Portuguese club. The 22-year-old went on to impress at the FIFA World Cup, scoring a goal and making an assist as he helped Argentina to lift the trophy for the first time since 1986.
In 10th position on the Premier League table, Chelsea has engaged in a spending spree in an effort to turn its season around. The club recently completed the purchase of Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk for €70 million.
