Rui Costa: “Enzo refused to stay until the end of the season without even losing a euro”

The Benfica president revealed on Thursday that Argentine footballer Enzo Fernandez refused to stay at the club until the end of this season, even “with an already signed contract with Chelsea and without losing a euro”.

“A player who, even then, does not want to stay at Benfica is not committed to Benfica. Even with the possibility of not losing a single euro and already with a solid contract with Chelsea for next season, I can’t stay at Benfica. Here I always confused the fan, the president and the man in the locker room. From that moment on, I no longer wanted this player. do not hit the chest, because they hit, any blow, ”Rui Costa said in an interview with BTV.

In an exhaustive explanation of the 22-year-old midfielder’s departure to Chelsea on the final day of the €121m winter market, Rui Costa revealed that the London emblem had been back in “payment” for the player for about two years. registrations closed a few days ago and yet the “incarnations” made an effort to keep the world champion.

“Two days before the market closed, Chelsea came back with an offer, but we did everything to keep him, including offering a pay raise. We here in Portugal find it difficult to follow these offers. I was a player and I know it well We have done everything we can to soften this Chelsea offer,” he said.

And he continued: “Enzo is an extraordinary player, he would not lose value at Benfica if he stayed until the end of the season. We let him know that at the end of the season there will be interest from Chelsea and other clubs in him again. But we have not been able to come to that conclusion. He had no chance to change his mind, he very persistently wanted to leave Benfica.

Rui Costa said that after the 2022 World Cup “there was the first offer from Chelsea, but then everything disappeared” until the market closed, when the Blues’ new onslaught appeared.

“There Enzo was adamant. We insisted that he stay here, but the player has never been open to continue with Benfica. We insisted while working on the proposal. We made an offer to stay until the end of the season without losing a dime. On the afternoon of January 31, I made a counter offer to Chelsea to buy the player now and take him only in the summer, lowering the sale price. The player, however, was negative about continuing to work at Benfica, he added.

The Benfica president also explained that the €120m termination clause only serves to “signify a commitment between the club and the player that, when an offer of that value comes in, the player will decide” whether or not to accept the departure. .

“It is no coincidence that this deal has come to an end in time, because we have done everything to keep Enzo here,” he stressed.

Regarding the cost of mediating the deal, which Benfica will have to pay despite not being interested in selling the player, Rui Costa stated that this is “a situation in world football, not just for Benfica”.

“You can’t bring in a player who has a lot of market like Enzo without giving the agent a 10 percent sale guarantee. This is where they will look for profit. This is determined from the very beginning. This is world football. you are looking for any Enzo, no manager allows a player to move to Benfica without a guarantee because there are several interested clubs. And so everywhere. explained.

After joining Luz in mid-July 2022 from River Plate for 10 million euros, to which could be added 8 million per goal, Enzo Fernandez moved to the Blues, who paid 1 million euros on top of the release clause. which was provided in the amount of 120 million euros.

Enzo’s move to Chelsea corresponds to the highest sale ever for a Portuguese club, now ahead of João Felix, who made a €120m move from Benfica to Atlético Madrid in 2019.

On the other hand, it is also the biggest deal in Premier League history, surpassing that of Jack Grealish, who was signed by Manchester City from Aston Villa for €117m in 2021.

Considered the best young player in the 2022 World Cup he won with Argentina, Enzo Fernandez played 29 games for Benfica and scored four goals.

Before joining Luz, the midfielder was almost always linked to River Plate and was loaned out to Defensa y Justicia, also from Argentina.