Manchester United and Liverpool will have to break their transfer record to land World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez after Benfica set asking price

Benfica have set their asking price for World Cup winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez at a mammoth £105million.

Fernandez starred for Argentina in Qatar and played a key role in helping Lionel Scaloni’s side capture their first World Cup since 1986.

Liverpool were reportedly leading the race for the 21-year-old but now Manchester United have reportedly stepped up their interest.

The Premier League giants, though, will have to break the Premier League’s transfer record to land the Argentine with Benfica unwilling to offload their prized asset on the cheap.

Fernandez only joined the Portuguese giants in the summer for £9m plus add-ons from River Plate but now has his release clause set at £105m.

After initially impressing in pre-season, Fernandez went on to score three goals and register five assists as Benfica soared to top spot in a Champions League group containing Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

However, should Liverpool push through a deal for the World Cup winner, it would smash their current club-record, which was set when they paid £85m for Darwin Nunez last summer.

For United, it would top the £89m they shelled out for Paul Pogba in 2016.

His mature displays have not shocked World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi who described the Benfica star as ‘spectacular’.

“I’m not surprised by Enzo,” Messi said of his teammate.

“I know him and I see him train every day, he deserves it because he’s a spectacular player.”