Am ready for action - Mykhaylo Mudryk shirt number revealed.

Chelsea handed Enzo Fernandez transfer hope as £70m bid prepared for January alternative

Chelsea transfer news: Enzo Fernandez could still join the Blues this month but attention looks set to divert to a different central midfielder worth at least £70million

Chelsea could still sign January transfer target Enzo Fernandez (Image: Photo by Massimiliano Ferraro/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Chelsea have been told there is still a chance they can secure a January transfer for Benfica star Enzo Fernandez. The Blues pushed hard for the Argentine international at the start of the window but saw their enquiries rebuffed by the Portuguese outfit who insisted his £106million release clause being met would be the only way he would be allowed to leave.

However, multiple reports indicated that a transfer was nearing completion, with Chelsea not actually paying the release clause, but instead offering equal instalments that matched the clause. Although it then became clear, the Blues had instead presented a proposal worth £87million that included three first-team players going the other way.

If that offer was accepted Hakim Ziyech would have been a permanent departure, with January arrivals David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos joining on loan. Benfica then grew unhappy with Chelsea’s attempts to spread the cost of the deal, instead wanting to receive it all at once, thus resulting in the Blues moving on to other transfer targets leaving Fernandez, who had pushed for a move away, looking likely to remain in Portugal.

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Benfica manager Roger Schmidt has since provided plenty of comments on Fernandez that indicated from their perspective he will not be going anywhere. Fernandez missed two training sessions between Christmas and New Year as he pushed for a transfer, but Schmidt admitted it would all be swept under the carpet.

"This question is closed. He's (Enzo Fernandez) one of our players. He's happy, training well, he's part of the team. Everything has been said.

"Now we restart from zero with Enzo. He will be back, we count on him - he's our player, we need Enzo."

Despite Chelsea agreeing a £88million deal to sign Mykhailo Mudryk over the weekend, Chelsea could still reignite their interest in Fernandez, according to Dharmesh Sheth.