Player who betrayed Benfica on Mourinho's Real Madrid wishlist | OneFootball

Real Madrid have identified 25-year-old Enzo Fernández as their top target to strengthen the midfield of the team now managed by José Mourinho. The decision is said to have been made in the last few hours, after the club concluded that signing Michael Olise was a virtually unrealistic scenario, leading to a change in market priorities.

According to Marca, Florentino Pérez has already begun preliminary contacts with Chelsea, preparing an official approach for the coming days. The player’s own desire is emerging as a decisive factor in this process, as Enzo Fernández has reportedly already let the Spanish club know that he intends to do everything possible to facilitate the transfer.

The Argentine midfielder, who played for Benfica in the 2022/23 season, has long been highly regarded by José Mourinho, who sees him as the ideal piece for the system he wants to implement in his return to the dugout at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Although other midfield options have been considered, such as Portuguese player Mateus Fernandes, said by Marca to be Tottenham’s preferred option, or Moroccan Ayyoub Bouaddi, none of them, in the manager’s view, fit the ideal profile for the project.

On Chelsea’s side, the stance is one of resistance. The English club do not intend to easily let go of another important member of the squad, especially after already securing a significant fee with the sale of Cucurella to Real Madrid for €50 million. Even so, Enzo Fernández’s strong desire to move to Spain could prove to be a decisive factor in how the process unfolds.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.