Chelsea braced for 'historic' £130m approach from Real Madrid for 24-year-old ace

Chelsea have the chance to bring in some new faces in this window to freshen up their ranks. They also have the opportunity to let some players head out the exit door as well. The Blues have a big squad and could do with trimming down the size of it.

Enzo Maresca was picked as their manager last year to replace Mauricio Pochettino. Prior to his move to Stamford Bridge, he won the Championship title with Leicester City. The ex-Manchester City coach has since done a decent job with the London outfit.

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez wanted by Real Madrid

According to Fichajes, Real Madrid are targeting a ‘historic’ £130million move for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. However, the deal is subject to the proposed sales of Rodrigo, Eduardo Camavinga and Fran Garcia. The player is under contract in England until 2032 meaning he has a lot of time left to run down.

Fernandez, 24, started his career at River Plate and broke into their first-team as a youngster. The Argentina international, who has 37 caps under his belt, then moved over to Europe in 2022. He initially played for Benfica before joining his current club.

Chelsea snapped him up to boost their midfield ranks. He has since enjoyed plenty of game time and has become one of their most prized assets. The Buenos Aires-born man has made 115 competitive appearances in all competitions to date and has found the net on 16 occasions, nine of which came in the last campaign as his side got back into the Champions League and won the Europa Conference League.

Would Chelsea let Enzo Fernandez leave?

It would be a surprise to see Fernandez leave Chelsea. He was brought in as a player for the future and still has loads of years left on his deal. However, if a big money offer came in from Real Madrid for his services, they would have a decision to make.

Following his move to the Blues in 2023, Sky Sports reporter Ron Walker said: "Fernandez's attributes make it clear how he can help. Still only halfway through his first season with Benfica, he has racked up the second-most assists in the Primeira Liga, and created 30 chances for his team-mates - some of them particularly eye-catching, and a stunning pinpoint set-up for Goncalo Ramos against Sporting earlier this month perhaps the pick of the bunch.

"It is that kind of playmaking potential which had Manchester City and Real Madrid interested in bringing him in from boyhood side River Plate last summer before he settled on a move to Lisbon. No one in the Portuguese top flight has made more passes than the Argentine, and if he does prove to replace Jorginho at Stamford Bridge, he will also provide something extra in the final third where he tops the charts for passes too.”

He added: "Should Chelsea want to play with a midfield two, he would offer a better option there too. Fernandez has already taken responsibility without the ball at Benfica, slotting into an anchorman role regularly as required.”