Enzo Fernandez’s enormous move from Benfica to Chelsea almost broke the internet on Tuesday night.
Smashing the British transfer record, the Blues had to wait until the dying hours of the transfer window to get their man. £106m! Woof. Had things not have been finalised in time though, could Liverpool have been plotting a summer move for Enzo?
According to a report today in The Athletic, we think that might have been a possibility. They claim that Chelsea learned of two clubs ‘ready to spend £100m’ on Fernandez in the summer.
As a result, Todd Boehly and co decided they had to go all-in for the Argentine. Having previously seen negotiations with Benfica break down, they reportedly knew they couldn’t afford to wait.
So, could one of these clubs have been Liverpool? Well, the Reds were certainly interested in Fernandez, that much has been clear for a while.
Obviously, their main focus has always been on smashing their own transfer record for Jude Bellingham. But they need more than one midfielder this summer. Reportedly armed with a huge budget, signing both Bellingham and Fernandez would have been some statement. It would have been lavish, but we can’t rule it out.
Chelsea win the race for Fernandez
The reality here is that there is only a small pool of clubs who could afford to go so big on Fernandez. With Bellingham in the pipeline, Liverpool perhaps aren’t one of them.
Real Madrid are another club who were long-seen as potential suitors for Enzo. They certainly have the spending power to drop that kind of fee. With Bellingham slipping away from them, you could see the Spanish giants turning to Fernandez instead.
Manchester City directors have also claimed that they turned down a move for Enzo before he joined Benfica. Although they’re usually a little savvier in the transfer market, they need a midfielder too and the £100m fee wouldn’t scare them.
And what about newly rich Newcastle United? They’re another now said to be weighing up entering the race for Bellingham. Could they have seen Enzo as a more get-able statement signing.
In truth, we’ll probably never know these two mystery clubs. It might have been Liverpool, it might not have been. With Enzo now a Chelsea player until 2031, it doesn’t really matter.
But there is another side to this. Should, for example the two clubs in question be City and Madrid, that could be a hint as to their expectations around Bellingham. You’d think it would be a case of one or the other for any club. If they were readying a move for Enzo, perhaps they already know Jude won’t be joining them…