Benfica ‘requested Chelsea midfielder’ in Enzo Fernandez swap deal

Benfica allegedly requested the services of Mateo Kovacic plus cash in exchange for Enzo Fernandez during crunch transfer negotiations with Chelsea, according to newspaper reports in Lisbon. The big-spending Blues spent several weeks attempting to strike an agreement with the Primeira Liga leaders for the Argentina international before eventually shaking hands on a Premier League-record deal worth a staggering £107million in the final hours of the window.

Fernandez jetted to London on Wednesday to put the finishing touches on his record-breaking switch to west London, which was formally completed on transfer deadline day following a frantic rush to beat the clock.

Nonetheless, negotiations and talks between the clubs were hardly straightforward given the size of the fee and package under discussion for the World Cup winner.

Intriguingly, Portuguese newspaper Record are reporting that Benfica asked Chelsea if they could sign Kovacic as part of a deal for Fernandez during a swap deal counter proposal.

It’s claimed Chelsea had offered Benfica an unknown player as part of a deal before the Portuguese giants declined and instead, requested the services of the 28-year-old Croatian maestro instead.

READ MORE: Chelsea completed second discreet deadline day signing in addition to Enzo Fernandez

“At that point I said: he can’t play for Benfica anymore, no way. I don’t cry for players who don’t want to wear our shirt. When Chelsea arrived, it was really impossible to change his mind.”

Earlier in the window when Chelsea first attempted to try and strike a deal, Benfica boss Roger Schmidt exploded with fury at the disruption the Blues had caused within his camp.

Fernandez was already in Benfica’s bad books after returning to Argentina for New Year’s Eve without permission from the club and Chelsea’s transfer interest also drastically turned his head.

He was briefly banished from their first-team set-up before quickly apologising to Benfica supporters for his antics – which saw him reinstated into the squad.

But despite hitting form for his former side, it soon became clear Chelsea would be back at the table after they failed with a £55m offer for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.

Fernandez remained their priority target but Benfica made it clear a deal would not be viable unless his release clause was met.

It was also claimed within the Portuguese press at the start of January that Chelsea had offered Benfica three players – Hakim Ziyech, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos (both on loan) – plus cash for the 22-year-old Argentinian.

Eventually, Chelsea paid up following a series of complex negotiations as Fernandez signed on the dotted line at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2031.