Chelsea could supposedly revive their pursuit of Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez before the end of the January transfer window.
Following the 22-year-old's stellar World Cup campaign with Argentina, where he was named the best young player of the tournament, Chelsea fought tooth and nail to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
Fernandez only joined Benfica from River Plate in the summer, though, and he is under contract with the Eagles for another four and a half years.
Furthermore, Benfica are reported to have inserted a release clause of €120m (£105.7m) into Fernandez's contract, although Chelsea were understood to be willing to cough up the money.
Eagles manager Roger Schmidt recently affirmed that the midfielder would be going nowhere this month, though, telling reporters: "The Enzo story is closed, there's nothing left.
"He's our player. He's in a good position, Enzo is happy, training well, he's part of the team. He's a key player. That's all."
However, Portuguese outlet Record claims that Chelsea have not given up their pursuit of Fernandez and could make a fresh approach for the Argentine before the January window closes.
Chelsea's insistence to pay Fernandez's release clause in instalments did not sit well with Benfica, who quickly put an end to talks with the West London giants, despite the player himself being keen on the switch.
Fuel was added to the fire surrounding Fernandez's future when he was dropped for Benfica's clash with Portimonense on January 6, but he has since played the full 90 in Primeira Liga matches with Sporting Lisbon and Santa Clara.
The World Cup winner also found the back of the net in a 2-0 Taca de Portugal win over Varzim on January 10, and he celebrated by tapping the Benfica crest on his shirt before pointing at the turf, hinting that he would be staying put in Portugal.
Fernandez has recorded four goals and seven assists in 28 matches for Benfica during his debut season, while he scored once and set up another in seven World Cup 2022 matches to help La Albiceleste win their third crown.
Since their initial pursuit of Fernandez died down, Chelsea are believed to have turned their attention to Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo in their search for winter midfield reinforcements.
The Blues are supposedly preparing a fresh bid of £65m for the Ecuadorian starlet after seeing an initial £55m offer turned down, as Graham Potter prepares for the possible departures of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante at the end of the season, but Brighton are holding out for a fee of £75m.
Chelsea have already brought Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos to Stamford Bridge on permanent deals this month, as well as signing Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
Felix, who was sent off in his debut against Fulham earlier this month, will serve the third of his three-game ban when Chelsea renew hostilities with the Cottagers at Stamford Bridge on February 3. body check tags ::
