Chelsea complete Enzo Fernandez signing on deadline day, Man Utd confirm Marcel Sabitzer loan
Chelsea’s pursuit of Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez went down to the wire on deadline day, after Arsenal completed the signing of Blues midfielder Jorginho
Chelsea have completed the signing of Enzo Fernandez for £106m, in what is a British transfer record. The Blues met Benfica’s release clause for the Argentina midfielder shortly before Tuesday’s 11pm transfer deadline.
A statement from the Portuguese side confirmed the deal past midnight after Chelsea rushed to complete the transfer.
It came after Manchester United signed Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season. The Austria international adds to United’s midfield options after Christian Eriksen was ruled out for three months with an ankle injury.
Brighton held on to midfielder Moises Caicedo, but Arsenal turned their attention to another target and signed Jorginho from Premier League rivals Chelsea in a £13m deal.
Elsewhere, Tottenham confirmed the signing of right back Pedro Porro, with Matt Doherty joining Atletico Madrid on a free transfer after his contract with Spurs was terminated by mutual agreement.
Follow all the latest transfer news and rumours, below:
15 MINUTES TO GO!
Just 15 minutes to go before the deadline, and there are still so many deals to confirm!
Fernandez to Chelsea?
Sabitzer to Manchester United?
Porro to Tottenham?
Time is running out!
Apart from Everton... despite late efforts to sign a striker, the Toffees are going to finish the window without a signing. Sean Dyche has already gone home.
Tottenham set to announce Pedro Porro deal
Down goes one domino, as Hector Bellerin signs for Sporting Lisbon.
That’s their replacement for outgoing right back Pedro Porro, who should be announced by Tottenham very, very soon.
Chelsea make breakthrough in Enzo Fernandez deal
Chelsea have made a breakthrough over the structure of Enzo Fernandez’s deal, according to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney.
As reported earlier: Chelsea have attempted to come up with a deal worth slightly more than the £106m clause that can be paid in installments.
Chelsea put forward a number of different options, like the fee being front-loaded to the first payment.
Benfica had been unwilling to accept this, but it seems a breakthrough has been reached by both parties.
Enzo Fernandez to sign eight-and-a-half-year contract
Enzo Fernandez will sign a contract until 2031, which is eight-and-a-half years and the same length as the deal Chelsea handed to Mykhailo Mudryk.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano.
Enzo Fernandez set for Chelsea medical
Chelsea have had staff in Portugal working on the Enzo Fernandez transfer all day, and the midfielder is set to undergo a medical there before flying to England.
Chelsea and Benfica have reached agreement on what would be a British transfer record, according to latest reports tonight.
Done deal! Crystal Palace sign Albert Sambi Lokonga on loan
Albert Sambi Lokonga heads to Crystal Palace on loan for the rest of the season for some much-needed game time.
Done deal! Atletico Madrid sign Matt Doherty
And here is Matt Doherty. The right back signs with Atletico Madrid after Tottenham confirmed he had left the club.
BREAKING! Tottenham and Doherty part ways
WOW! Did not see this coming. Tottenham have announced that they have terminated the contract of Matt Doherty, in a mutual decision, so the Ireland international can complete a permanent move to Atletico Madrid!
Doherty’s time at Spurs is over, and Pedro Porro should be announced shortly.
Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea... here we go?
So when Fabrizio Romano gives it a ‘Here we go!’, it usually means a deal is all but done...
And the transfer expert has just given the big thumbs up to Chelsea’s move for Enzo Fernandez.
Romano says there is now agreement between Benfica and Chelsea, but there is still a race against time to get the deal done before the deadline.
Isco move to Union Berlin collapses at last moment
Union Berlin’s attempt to sign former Real Madrid star Isco fell apart earlier on deadline day, with the German club saying they called the deal off at the last moment.
The 30-year-old Isco had looked set to sign for Union as a free agent after undergoing a medical in Berlin on the final day of the transfer window, but club officials announced the deal had collapsed.
“We would have been happy to see Isco among us, but we have our limits. These were exceeded today, contrary to the previous agreement, so the transfer is not taking place,” Union general manager Oliver Ruhnert said.
Gestifute, the player agency run by Jorge Mendes which represents Isco, declined to comment when asked by the Associated Press on why the deal fell apart.
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