Chelsea are preparing to submit a final offer for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez towards the end of the January transfer window, according to transfer expert Ben Jacobs.

Jacobs told The Football Terrace: “Chelsea are hoping that somehow that they can get a decent deal where, yes, they pay above the odds but they don’t have to pay €120million. But because Benfica keep reiterating at this point that it’s release clause or nothing there hasn’t been a great deal of movement in the last few days.

“But it’s also tactical for Chelsea to wait and I wouldn’t be surprised, especially if they don’t get Moises Caicedo, and they choose to turn back to Fernandez over somebody like [Amadou] Onana at Everton, who astonishingly might be available.

“If they return to Fernandez it will be late and it will be bullish and it will be take it or leave it style.

“Then Benfica will be in a position where an already divided board have to come to some consensus because there’s no way they are going to get anything close to what Chelsea are offering come to the summer when a little bit of the World Cup opportunism has passed and even if they are more suitors, it will be a scramble for a deal at far closer to his market rate.

“So when Chelsea, for example, offered €85million and Benfica speak of that being disrespectful due it being significantly below the release clause, €85million would be ambitious in the summer.

“He’s a player who is valued at the moment, in general, at the lower end €45million and at the higher end €65million. So even €85 million is an absolutely astonishing deal.”