After weeks of speculation Benfica’s Enzo Fernández was sold to Chelsea for €121 million, making it a record transfer fee paid by an English club.
On the same day, two other stars of the Portuguese game departed. Sporting wing-back Pedro Porro joined Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €47.5 million and Braga striker Vitinha signed for Marseille for €32 million.
Chelsea’s Enzo overtures impossible to resist after saga
On the back of his magnificent showings in the first half of the season for Benfica and at the Qatar World Cup for Argentina, Enzo Fernández became one of the hottest midfield prospects in world football.
Chelsea made a strong initial move for the Argentinian at the end of December, earning criticism from Benfica coach Roger Schmidt for their conduct and destabilising of the player. Fernández himself appeared set on making the move happen. He played poorly in Benfica’s surprise 3-0 defeat at Braga, then ignored the club’s instructions to stay in Portugal during the New Year, travelling to Argentina for the festivities.
However, Benfica refused to budge in their demands for payment of the full release clause or no deal, and the London club appeared to cool its interest, especially as they meanwhile made a series of other big-name signings, notably Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, Noni Madueke from PSV, and João Félix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
And when Enzo Fernández scored against Varzim in the 2-0 Portuguese Cup victory on 10 January he celebrated by pointing at the club badge and gesturing to apparently transmit the idea that he was staying.
However, Chelsea rekindled their interest in the final days of January, and when Enzo was omitted from the squad for Tuesday night’s match at high-flying Arouca, there was little doubt the deal was back on. The official announcement of the sale occurred during the second half of the Eagles’ 3-0 victory over Arouca.
The €121 million received by the Portuguese giants is the second highest transfer fee involving a Portuguese club, surpassed only by Benfica’s sale of João Félix to Atletico for €127 million in 2019.
Considering the player cost Benfica €10 million when they bought him in the summer of 2022, it represents tremendous business from the financial point of view, even if Benfica will reportedly receive only €81.5 million after deductions for payments to River Plate, Enzo Fernández’s former club, and agent fees.
The impact of the sale on Benfica’s season is a separate issue though, with many fans angry at the club’s failure to retain the midfielder at least until the end of the campaign.
Benfica have enjoyed a brilliant first half of the season, topping their Champions League group ahead of PSG and Juventus and building a healthy lead at the top of the table. Fernández was undoubtedly a big part of that success and it remains to be seen if coach Roger Schmidt can mitigate his loss.
Pedro Porro also swaps Lisbon for London
Like Benfica, Sporting played hardball with Tottenham Hotspur in negotiations for the sale of their star player. Spanish right wing-back Pedro Porro has been outstanding in his three years at Alvalade, and the Lions insisted that Spurs pay his buyout clause to release him. The final fee was €47.5 million plus another 15% ownership of Marcus Edwards, tied up in a loan-to-be-made-permanent deal.
Sporting moved quickly to replace Porro, signing his compatriot and fellow Spain international Héctor Bellerín from Barcelona on loan until the end of the season.
The Lisbon club also purchased centre-back Ousmane Diomandé from Midtjylland. The Ivorian has impressed on loan at Mafra this season and the 19-year-old signed a long-term contract until 2027, with an €80 million release clause.
Braga’s Vitinha heads to France
U21 Portugal striker Vitinha was the subject of a tug-of-war between English Premier League club Southampton and Ligue 1 outfit Marseille, and it was the French club who won the race to sign the Braga forward.
Vitinha já está em Marselha para fechar a transferência.pic.twitter.com/FZedgcGkbH
After bursting onto the scene last season under Carlos Carvalhal at Braga (14 goals, 3 assists in 38 games), Vítor Manuel Carvalho Oliveira, to give him is full name, has continued to develop impressively (13 goals, 5 assists in 27 games) and will now have the opportunity to showcase his talents abroad.
The €32 million paid by Marseille makes Vitinha Braga’s record sale, and the Guerreiros also are entitled to 10% of any profit made on a future sale of the striker.
by Tom Kundert
