Liverpool ‘initiate’ contact with World Cup star over January transfer switch

Liverpool have made contact with Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez over a potential move to Anfield, according to Record. It is thought that Benfica are expecting the player to move on in January.

The 21-year-old joined the Portuguese outfit from River Plate for an initial €10 million in the summer and already looks to be on his way out after impressing. After bagging nine goal contributions in all competitions for Benfica, Fernandez was called up to the Argentina squad for the World Cup and has since been a standout player in Qatar - scoring one and assisting another.

Despite only joining Benfica in June and still having four-and-a-half years left on his contract, Fernandez is been heavily linked with a move away after his brilliant performances for Argentina. The midfielder’s price tag will certainly have risen over the past few weeks and Liverpool would certainly have to splash the cash if they were to lure him to Anfield.

Fernandez’s release clause currently stands at a whopping €120m and Benfica are in a very good position to negotiate in their favour. It’s unclear how much the Reds would be willing to spend on the youngster, though they won’t want to end up in a bidding war as the likes of Man City and Real Madrid have reportedly expressed interest in signing him too.

Liverpool’s ‘contact’ with Fernandez’s representatives also casts doubt over the Jude Bellingham deal, which had been reported as looking increasingly close over the past week or so. Reports claimed that the Borussia Dortmund star would prefer a move to Merseyside rather than Real Madrid and Jurgen Klopp’s side were preparing to fork out a significant amount to bring him back to England. However, moves for both Fernandez and Bellingham seem unlikely - especially given their owners are still trying to sell the club.