Chelsea's deal with Benfica for Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez is said to have fallen through.
Following his heroics for Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, where he won the Young Player of the Tournament award, he became the subject of intense transfer speculation.
Cesar Luis Merlo, a South American journalist, revealed that talks between Chelsea and Benfica had broken down. He posted on Twitter;
"The negotiation for Enzo Fernández to go to Chelsea collapsed: Benfica gave up selling him outside the clause after several days of negotiation."
The Portuguese club want the English giants to pay the player's £106 million release clause up front.
The Blues had proposed a deal that would see them pay the fee in three installments to evade financial fair play restrictions. They've also insisted they won't budge from their current valuation, even though they're said to have already lodged a bid of around £100 million.