Chelsea Is Close to Sign the 2022 World Cup Golden Boy

Press reports said that the management of the English club Chelsea took a big step in the race to sign the golden boy for the 2022 World Cup.

Enzo Fernández, the midfielder for Argentina and the Portuguese club Benfica, previously won the award for the best young player in the 2022 World Cup, which was won by his country, after presenting a wonderful performance throughout the tournament and his contribution to crowning tango dancers with the third title in its history.

The British “Sky Sports” network revealed in a report that the Benfica administration initially refused to negotiate with the Chelsea administration regarding the sale of Fernandez and hinted at the value of the 105 million pounds penalty clause in the player’s contract.

However, the Chelsea club management confirmed during the negotiations, which were attended by the player's agent, Jorge Mendes, and Roy Costa, the president of the Portuguese club, that the value of the penalty clause in Fernandez's contract would not be a problem at all.

According to the report, all that remains for the Chelsea club management at the present time is to obtain the player’s approval and reach an agreement regarding his personal salary.

And if Chelsea succeeds in obtaining the services of Enzo Fernandez, the Blues will have succeeded in outperforming their rivals in the Premier League, Liverpool and Manchester United, who are also seeking to sign the player.

Fernandez scored a single goal during the 2022 World Cup that was held in Qatar, during a 2-0 victory over Mexico in the group stage, which was Argentina's first victory in the tournament.

Chelsea coach Graham Potter aims to sign players to support the team's midfield, in light of the expiration of the contracts of Frenchman N'Golo Kante and Italian Jorginho at the end of the current season.

Other media reports said that Chelsea are also interested in signing West Ham United star Declan Rice and Borussia Dortmund player Jude Bellingham.

It is worth noting that Enzo Fernandez joined Benfica in the summer of 2022 from Argentine River Plate for a cheap price of only 10 million euros, meaning that if Chelsea bought him for 105 million pounds sterling, equivalent to 118 million euros, the Portuguese club would achieve nearly 12 times his price as a financial gain.

Fernandez wears the No. 13 shirt in Benfica, which is the number of Portuguese football and club legend Eusebio, while he wears the No. 24 shirt in the Argentine national team.