Chelsea and Benfica chiefs 'almost had a physical confrontation' in £107 million Enzo Fernandez talks

Chelsea and Benfica 'almost got into a physical altercation' during negotiations for Enzo Fernandez, according to a bombshell report in Portugal.

Fernandez completed his mega move to Chelsea on transfer deadline day in a deal worth a staggering £107 million - a British record fee.

Chelsea and Benfica had been involved in prolonged discussions throughout the January transfer window following the Argentine's impressive performances at the 2022 World Cup.

Fernandez helped his national team win the prestigious trophy in Qatar and scooped the Best Young Player award at the tournament.

The Blues made him their priority signing of the window, but they initially struggled to land the player with talks dragging on for much of the month.

Enzo Fernandez lifts the World Cup. Image; Alamy

What's more, Portuguese outlet Record have revealed the heavy tension between the two sides when they met to speak about the 22-year-old midfielder.

Talks took place on January 3, with Benfica president Rui Costa travelling to London to meet Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.

And the meeting reportedly escalated, with chiefs of both clubs close to a physical altercation.

Benfica had also pushed for Chelsea's Mateo Kovacic to be included as part of the deal for Fernandez.

That's not all as the report claims Fernandez threatened to share a video slamming Benfica's management structure.

Chelsea eventually wrapped up the deal, offering a huge £107 million for Fernandez as they completed the transfer on deadline day.

Graham Potter spoke on the deal to bring Fernandez to Stamford Bridge and expressed his delight at being able to work with a 'fantastic' player.

"I'm the head coach so I don't get too involved in the nitty gritty of Deadline Day," he said. "I am focused on the next day's training and preparing the team for Fulham.

"I've been involved too long to know that there are some things you can't control and I couldn't do anything at that point to change things. I found out when it was done and I'm very pleased, because [Fernandez] is a fantastic player.

"My Spanish isn't great and his English isn't great, but we'll get there. He is an impressive young man and we're looking forward to working with him."

Topics: Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea, Benfica, Football

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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