Liverpool could have paid £50m less for World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez had they signed him before the tournament.
That’s according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, anyway. Speaking on the House of Champions podcast Romano claimed that Fernandez’s price-tag has sky-rocketed as a result of his brilliant displays in Qatar.
“He arrived with a value around 65 or 70 millions euros, something like that. Then, game by game the value is going up and up and up,” the transfer expert explained.
“He has a release clause, 120 million euros. If you asked me one month ago you have to pay 120 million for Enzo Fernandez, I’d say no, I think with 65 or 70 could be fine. But today, I’m not sure they’re going to accept maybe 80 or 90, I’m sure they are going to protect that release clause.
“He’s a very special player and my feeling is the value is going to be more than 100 million [euros], because now many top clubs are jumping on him. We already mentioned Liverpool and Real Madrid, but in the next days I’m sure many other clubs will arrive to speak with his agent.”
Converted into pound sterling, that means Liverpool could have signed Fernandez for something like £58m pre-World Cup. With his performances for Argentina in mind, he’ll now cost closer to £106m. Woof.
Liverpool left kicking themselves
Prior to the World Cup, Liverpool might have been thinking about Enzo as a slightly cheaper signing to go with Jude Bellingham.
In terms of the Reds transfer plans, the 21-year-old going to the tournament was the worst thing that could have happened.
Now, Benfica will surely be looking to recoup the full amount of that hefty release clause. And, to be fair, they’d probably be justified in doing so.
Argentina weren’t looking great in the early games of the competition. It can’t be a coincidence that their fortunes changed completely when Lionel Scaloni started putting Fernandez in the team.
The Benfica man ended the tournament by scooping the coveted Young Player of the Tournament award. Previously won by the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Muller and Paul Pogba, Fernandez follows in some big footsteps.
He looks set to match whatever those names have gone on to achieve in the game. Already a World Cup winner at twenty-one, the sky is the limit for this young man. Liverpool will be rueing the fact they didn’t take a gamble on signing him from River Plate last summer. Now, they’re going to have to stump up, or miss out on him altogether.
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