Milan have officially lost the race to sign Argentine midfield talent Enzo Fernandez from River Plate, as another European giant in Benfica are touted to have secured his signature.
As per Calciomercato, Fernandez will make the move to Portugal once Copa Libertadores is over, on a €18M deal including bonuses and add-ons for 75% of the player’s sporting rights.
? Confirmed and official, Enzo Fernandez set to join Benfica as River Plate will receive 10 million euros + another 8 million in add-ons https://t.co/FV0yMXpeh9
— MilanReports (@MilanReportscom) June 23, 2022
The race for his signature was heightened in recent weeks weeks, mainly because of his release clause that would rise by another €5M to €23.5M on the 27th of June, Monday. However, barring that, Benfica have beaten both Milan and Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign the up-and-coming central midfielder.
21-year-old Enzo was specially shortlisted by chief Rossoneri scout Geoffrey Moncada, who also contacted the player and his entourage earlier to inquire potential availability. Moreover, the delayed contract extensions of Maldini and Massara is to be blamed for Milan’s short hiatus in the transfer market
1) come sempre detto, il giocatore piaceva e Moncada aveva parlato direttamente con lui.
2) sempre alternativo a Sanches, ancora non era stata avviata una trattativa con il River Plate.
3) il ritardo sui rinnovi dei dirigenti porta a questo tipo di problematiche https://t.co/lj3TQHXcHA
— Daniele Longo (@86_longo) June 23, 2022
Despite that, the Rossoneri will be relieved of the fact that he was not their primary target, as Lille’s Renato Sanches still leads that list for midfield reinforcements.