8.5-year contract, fee larger than €120m: Nazarr Kinsella shares Enzo Fernandez update

The Evening Standard's Nizaar Kinsella, a trusted reporter of  Chelsea updates has provided an insight on the Blues' renewed pursuit of Enzo Fernandez.

Chelsea have begun negotiations with Benfica after the talks fell through earlier this month. The Blues are ready to surpass the €120m fee stipulated in the midfielder's release clause but would pay the fee in batches.

They would give the World Cup winner a 7.5-year or 8.5-year contract, using the accounting loophole that would help the Blues manipulate Financial Fair Play sanctions.

Chelsea cannot simply trigger Enzo's release clause because "buyout clauses cannot be spread over the length of the increasingly long-term contracts being offered by the club, unlike a transfer fee agreed between two teams," Kinsella writes.