An incredible bid for Enzo Fernández proves Liverpool correct about their ‘obsessive’ transfer pursuit. It should be good news.
The Times reports that Chelsea are indeed back in for Enzo Fernández. Not only that but they’ve put in a quite incredible offer for the Argentine.
Benfica have always stayed true about their demands – pay his release clause in full or Enzo goes nowhere. Chelsea actually ran into trouble with that, per Record, having initially said they’d do just that before going back on their word. Manager Roger Schmidt labelled it ‘disrespectful’.
Well, Chelsea have found a way around that. They’re not going to pay the fee in full and will instead pay in instalments as they always wanted. But as compensation to Benfica, they’ll offer £115m – above Enzo’s release clause.
It’s one that the watching Liverpool must view with a degree of justification.
Liverpool won’t secure Enzo Fernández transfer
Liverpool have been linked with Enzo since before the World Cup. Back when his value was seen to be at around half of what Chelsea are paying.
In fact, we wrote that fans should watch Argentina’s opening game as the little-known Enzo should be in action. They could catch a glimpse of a supposed Liverpool target.
Of course, Enzo shone at the tournament. He won the Best Young Player award as Argentina won the main prize. His value skyrocketed, as did the number of clubs wanting to sign him.
Chelsea will now almost certainly get him but for a price well above Enzo’s actual value. As good as he is, Benfica paid under £10m just last summer. Fabrizio Romano claims Liverpool considered entering the race but didn’t for one reason – Jude Bellingham.
They’ve put all of their eggs in that basket. Romano describes it as ‘obsessive’, with the Reds never wavering from their no.1 target. In light of this offer, Liverpool were absolutely right to do so.
Their interest in Bellingham looks incredibly strong and they’re well-placed to sign him. Convincing the player is priority one for the deal, after all, and the Reds can show just how much they want him.
But it now also looks as though Bellingham will be value for money. That’s something we never saw coming, given the figures involved.
The low end of his price is, according to Florian Plettenberg, around £88m. That’s legitimately a bargain when compared to Enzo. Bellingham has more experience at the top level, is a more versatile player and for English clubs, carries homegrown status.
He has unquestionably been a better player than Enzo – despite being two years younger. If Liverpool can actually get him for less, they’ll have secured a truly fantastic deal.
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