Chelsea and Benfica officials almost came to blows over the future of Enzo Fernandez, it has been revealed in Portugal.
The Argentine World Cup winner made the switch to Stamford Bridge for an eye-watering British record fee worth £107m on deadline day.
Record has reported the heavy tension between the two camps when they met to speak about Fernandez – and how Benfica had pushed for Mateo Kovacic to be included in a swap deal.
It’s also said that Fernandez – eager to move to the Premier League side – threatened to publish a video ripping into Benfica‘s management.
Benfica president Rui Costa flew to London after Chelsea expressed their interest – with talks taking place on January 3 in a meeting where Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes were both present.
Things then reportedly came to a head between the two clubs, with reports that chiefs of both sides were close to physical confrontation in a bitter dispute. Costa is said to have left the room in fury after Chelsea‘s dropped their original proposal of £107m to £80m with players to be offered in return.
Several were proposed – including Jorginho – who ended up going to Arsenal for £12m, with Benfica reportedly requesting that Kovacic be sent the other way.
The 28-year-old Croatian was put on the table though his salary – around £5m-per-year – made that scenario impossible.
Chelsea then returned with a £107m move to Benfica, which was completed on deadline day, though they could have signed him at the end of the season for £89m.
