LISBON - Benfica coach Roger Schmidt said his club have no intention of selling Argentinian World Cup star Enzo Fernandez for less than his buy-out clause amid reported interest from Chelsea.
“There is a club who want our player,” he said, without naming the Blues.
“They know that we don’t want to sell the player, so they try to get the player on their side with a lot of money.”
Fernandez, who joined Benfica from River Plate in the summer, has a €120 million (S$170 million) buy-out clause in his contract, and Schmidt said the bidding club was trying to avoid paying that.
“To make the player crazy and then to pretend they can pay the clause, and later they want to negotiate,” he explained.
“They try to get the player on their side. It’s disrespectful against all of us, against Benfica and I cannot accept what they are doing.
“There is a lot of money on the table. It confuses you a little bit.”
The 21-year-old Fernandez travelled back home to Argentina last weekend and missed training without permission, Schmidt added.
Local media reported that he missed two training sessions before returning to Lisbon after his Argentina visit.
“He was not here (earlier this) week, he had no permission to go to Argentina, he missed training, that’s not acceptable,” Schmidt said.
“Enzo is a very good boy and a fantastic football player. We love him and of course we want him to stay at Benfica.
“The situation for him is not easy. He played a good World Cup, became champion, got offers, and there’s a lot of money.”
The midfielder was voted best young player at the World Cup after breaking into the side in Qatar.
Chelsea have been struggling this season under new chairman Todd Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali.
The Blues, who bought France international defender Benoit Badiashile from Ligue 1 side Monaco on Thursday, sit 10th in the Premier League, ten points off fourth-placed Man United at the halfway stage of the season.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter has kept a tight lid on rampant speculation during the January transfer window as he tries to revive the club’s top-four hopes.
Besides Fernandez and Badiashile, other names linked to the Blues include Andrey Santos, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk.
“It’s a good question but the problem is if I answer it and I’m specific in that answer, every single player in that area will be linked with Chelsea,” Potter said, referring to speculation over new players.
“So I have to dodge it. I always answer by saying that I’m the head coach and my responsibility is to the players that are here.
“We will try in every window to improve, but January is a complicated one because it’s the middle of the season.” AFP, REUTERS
