Benfica requested Chelsea include Mateo Kovacic in deal for Enzo Fernandez

Benfica wanted Chelsea to see Mateo Kovacic arsenic portion of nan woody for Enzo Fernandez, according to reports successful Portugal.

Chelsea were progressive successful tense negotiations pinch Benfica for respective weeks arsenic they struggled to scope an statement for Argentina’s World Cup winner.

In nan closing hours of nan January window, Chelsea collapsed nan British transportation grounds arsenic they completed a €121 cardinal (£107m) woody for Fernandez.

During talks pinch Benfica, Chelsea had offered respective players arsenic portion of nan woody including Hakim Ziyech, whose move to Paris Saint-Germain collapsed connected deadline day.

According to Record, nan only subordinate Benfica requested during negotiations was Kovacic, however, nan Chelsea midfielder’s net made it ‘impossible’ for nan Portuguese club.

The study besides claims that Fernandez ‘threatened’ to station a video connected societal media successful which he would criticise Benfica’s level for preventing his move to Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Graham Potter is adamant that Fernandez has nan correct characteristic to beryllium a occurrence astatine Stamford Bridge.

‘I tin understand it but each transportation is simply a gamble,’ Potter said.

‘If you look astatine nan marketplace for midfield players, and midfield players that haven’t won nan World Cup, you’ll beryllium quoted a batch of money. We’ve sewage a subordinate pinch a immense characteristic – he played successful midfield for Argentina who won nan World Cup.

‘He has attributes that tin thief him play successful immoderate convention successful nan world. He has already played good successful nan Champions League and we followed him earlier nan World Cup, we knew astir him anyway. So we’re assured astir nan personality.

‘It’s for illustration anything: he’s still a young person, he’s still a young man coming to this country. You’ve sewage to accommodate to nan club. But we’ll thief him pinch that and his characteristic is 1 wherever you think, ‘oh, I’ve sewage nary worries astir him’.

‘He’s a combatant and I deliberation he understands really fortunate he is. He fights for nan team, has courage, is not afraid, and is open-minded. He wants to amended and if you’re playing arsenic nan No.6 for Argentina, playing nan large games astatine his age, and pinch nan quality, it’s not easy to person those attributes.’

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