He said no to Liverpool, now karma hits Enzo Fernandez

Having become one of Chelsea's priorities to shore up their midfield, Enzo Fernandez is now moving away from Stamford Bridge. The Londoners do not seem willing to pay the €120m in his one-off termination clause and are considering other options on the market.

Enzo Fernández has become one of the main protagonists of the transfer market during the first days of January. The Benfica midfielder is coming off the back of a remarkable first half of the season with the Portuguese side, a situation to which must be added his brilliant performance during the World Cup in Qatar, which he finally won alongside his Argentina teammates.

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There has been much talk about the possibility of the 21-year-old midfielder moving on this January. Speculation about interest from a number of clubs has been rife. After reports linking him with Liverpool and Real Madrid, Chelsea emerged on the scene with the clear intention of getting ahead of the rest of the bidders and taking the cat out of the bag with his signing.

So much so that the Portuguese press were already saying that his arrival in London in exchange for the €120m that appears in his termination clause was practically a done deal. However, while Chelsea's intention was to pay the transfer in several places, Benfica were adamant and asked for the whole payment in one go.

He will end up in a team lesser than Liverpool 

Now, the option has been dropped. In fact, according to information from Sky Sport in Germany, Chelsea have taken a step back in the race for Enzo Fernandez. The British team do not want to pay what Benfica are demanding and are working on other cheaper options. It remains to be seen whether this is a step aside before they make a move next summer or if it is a definitive goodbye.