Chelsea ‘make £115m bid’ for Benfica and Argentina star Enzo Fernandez amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester United

Chelsea have sent an offer of around £115million to Benfica for midfield star Enzo Fernandez, according to reports in Portugal.

The Blues will be keen to strengthen in January following their slow and injury-hit start to the season.

Fernandez emerged as one of Argentina’s standout players in their World Cup triumph, with Chelsea now interested in signing him.

According to Record, Graham Potter’s side have made a bid of around £115m to try and sign the 21-year-old.

He only joined Benfica in the summer, but Fernandez has already attracted the interest of some of Europe’s top sides.

The midfielder was also named as the Young Player of the Tournament at the World Cup in Qatar.

Amid their interest, Liverpool and Manchester United were told they would need to pay Benfica’s asking price of £105million, which is his release clause.

However, Chelsea look to have gone one step further in their pursuit and go above that release clause as they seek quality reinforcements for the rest of the season.

Potter’s side returned to Premier League action after the World Cup with a 2-0 win over Bournemouth.

However, they may also be looking at a new right-back in January following the injury to Reece James.

The 23-year-old played his first match for the Blues since October, but came off minutes into the second half with another knee injury.

After the match, Potter revealed their worries over the knock to one of their star players: “It’s the same area, so we are concerned.

“It’s really too soon [to tell]. We’ll have to see over the next 24-48 hours. He felt something there and we will have to find out the extent of it and keep our fingers crossed.”

January could be a busy month for Chelsea as the west London side set their sights on new transfer targets.