Liverpool have been named in the race to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
What’s the word?
That is according to a report from Catalan outlet Sport, who list Liverpool alongside Chelsea and Barcelona as clubs who have the Argentine in their sights.
Having snapped Fernandez up for the cool fee of €10m (£8.7m), Benfica are said to “already be rubbing their hands” over the interest from the aforementioned clubs, with the player now said to be worth over €50m (£43.6m) following a positive start to life in Lisbon.
Whilst the Reds are seen as potential suitors for the star, it seems as though they will have to fork out a respectable fee to prise the 21-year-old Argentina international from the clutches of Benfica.
Klopp’s dream
Benfica have truly struck gold with Fernandez, which is a testament to their astute and low-cost approach in the transfer market.
Operating as a number six in a double-pivot partnership for the Portuguese giants, the 21-year-old has stolen the show under Roger Schmidt and has put up some staggering numbers.
With an average of 100 accurate passes per 90, Fernandez’s squad-topping feat for Benfica would transfer directly to the Liverpool squad, with van Dijk his closest competitor with an average of 69.9 accurate passes per 90.
The Argentine sensation, who has “power” and “aggressiveness” according to Robert Pires, has also conjured up an impressive 7.0 big chances created, which would again rank him at the very top in comparison to the Liverpool squad.
If those squad-topping metrics aren’t impressive enough, Fernandez’s average of 11.1 accurate long balls per 90 is almost double to that of Thiago Alcantara’s total of 6.2 per 90.
£107million Fernandez has majorly benefited from Schmidt’s mass-possession playing style, there is no doubting his ability in the middle of the park, with the youngster quickly becoming a talismanic figure for the team.
For Klopp, he could become a next-generation general in the engine room, in a move that would bolster the side for years to come.
