Liverpool are set to miss out on one of their midfield transfer targets, with Premier League rivals Chelsea expected to make the signing instead.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal with Benfica worth around £120 million for Enzo Fernandez, which is the current price set for his release clause to be activated.
Enzo Fernández has already spoken to Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt on today’s training session, he confirmed that he wants Chelsea move as main priority. 🔵 #CFC
Negotiations will continue between the two clubs later tonight, crucial 24/48h to close the deal. pic.twitter.com/3gTpaIAY5o
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 3, 2023
The 21-year-old has been linked with a move to Liverpool for a few months now and has been second on their list of midfield transfer targets, behind Jude Bellingham.
However, the Reds weren’t prepared to pay a fee of £120 million to sign the Argentina midfielder therefore Chelsea are now leading the race to sign the midfielder and it could be confirmed in the next few days.
Fernandez was a crucial part of the Argentina squad on their way to lifting the World Cup trophy in December, defeating France in a penalty shootout in the final.
There is no doubt that the youngster is an incredibly talented player, but for £120 million is far too much money to spend on a player who has had a good six months under the spotlight.
For that sort of money, you could sign a proven, world-class teenager in Jude Bellingham or even sign both Frenkie De Jong and Moises Caicedo for the same price.
As much as Liverpool are in desperate need of one or two midfielders, I’m glad they haven’t rushed into spending a crazy amount of money on Fernandez.
Instead, I back them to move for either Moises Caicedo or Sofyan Amrabat in the January transfer window before targeting Bellingham in the summer if they can qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.