Barcelona, Real Madrid very attentive to the situation of €120m Chelsea target – report | OneFootball

Enzo Fernandez was one of the breakout stars of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and has since been attracting strong interest from some of the biggest clubs across Europe, with La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid among his admirers.

The links to the two Spanish behemoths are not something new, although things had gone quiet on that front in recent weeks as it seemed like Chelsea would be signing the midfielder.

But, according to a fresh report from Record, Barcelona and Real Madrid remain very attentive to the situation of Fernandez even as Chelsea continue to make efforts to sign him from Benfica in the ongoing transfer window.

Barça have been following Fernandez from his days at Real Madrid and had an opportunity to sign him for a low fee a while back, but decided not to take up the chance.

The 22-year-old has made rapid strides and has developed into a key cog at Benfica since joining the club in the summer.

So, unsurprisingly, the Portuguese outfit do not intend to make it easy for any suitors to sign up the Argentine and are demanding that his entire €120 million release clause amount be paid.

That pretty much rules Barcelona out of contention considering the financial situation that the club find themselves in. The Blaugrana are in no position to sign any players this month and are unlikely to be able to spend huge money on new signings either.

So, it would be safe to say that Fernandez’s chances of arriving at Camp Nou this year are next to none.

A move to Chelsea, however, could still materialise, with the Blues said to be willing to offer €100 million plus a player in exchange. Real Madrid are also in the mix, although they have Jude Bellingham as their primary target for midfield.

So, Chelsea seems like the most likely destination for Fernandez at the moment. But, both Barcelona and Real Madrid are keeping a close watch on the developments surrounding his future.