Benfica president Rui Costa slams Enzo Fernandez’s conduct during Chelsea transfer saga
The west London outfit reignited a move for the World Cup winner with just a few days of the transfer window remaining, with Benfica having been adamant he was not for sale when initial approaches were made at the start of the month.
Costa has now confirmed that he relented on that stance on the proviso that Fernandez would remain at the club until the summer, even accepting a smaller fee than the release clause and ensuring that the midfielder would earn the same salary being offered by Chelsea.
But the 22-year-old had no intention of seeing out the rest of the season in Lisbon, with some reports even claiming he threatened to return to Argentina and never play for Benfica again.
Costa has suggested that was indeed the case and once Fernandez had delivered his ultimatum the Benfica c...