CHELSEA have extended Enzo Fernandez’s contract by another year to keep him at the club until 2032, according to reports.
The 22-year-old joined the Blues from Benfica at the end of the January transfer window for a British transfer record £107million.
Fernandez agreed an eight-and-a-half-year deal until 2031 as the club amortised the lucrative fee – which works out at around £11m per season – over a lengthy period in order to circumvent Financial Fair Play regulations.
The option of an additional year was also included within Fernandez’s deal.
And now TyC Sports journalist Cesar Luis Merlo is reporting that has been triggered by Chelsea.
It means Fernandez is now under contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2032 – when he will be 31 years of age.
READ MORE ON CHELSEA
The decision to extend his contract just three months after joining the club comes as Uefa are reportedly preparing to change the rules regarding the length of contracts.
Europe’s governing body are looking at implementing a five-year limit on the length of a player’s deal in a bid to close the loophole being exploited around amortisation and Financial Fair Play.
That could mean Chelsea also look to extend the deals of January signings Mykhailo Mudryk and Benoit Badiashile in the coming months.
Mudryk’s contract runs until 2031, while Badiashile’s ends just 12 months earlier.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
Meanwhile, Fernandez has hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge by impressing in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield.
Speaking about the World Cup winner acting as a key figure in the dressing room, interim boss Frank Lampard said: “Enzo is becoming a leader, but he’s 22, I think it’s quite difficult for us to talk about that, he’ll have to find his way.
“Games like [the quarter-final first-leg tie at the Bernabeu] are a great chance to perform and show the personality that makes you a proper leader.”
In response, Fernandez said: “I always dream to be a leader because when I started, I always wanted to be an example.
“To be defined like that so young makes me really proud. I always give my best and try to be an example for everyone.”
Chelsea will look to end a run of five games without a win when they host Brighton on Saturday.
Lampard’s side could move back into the top half of the Premier League table with a positive result against the high-flying Seagulls.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
