Transfer Roundup: Chelsea Stays Busy With Joao Felix Loan, Enzo Fernandez Talks
With the winter transfer window underway, it has come as a surprise to no one that Chelsea is leading the spending. The club broke a Premier League record for spending in a single transfer window when it dished out more than $250 million last summer. Facing an identity crisis and a poor run of form, club owner Todd Boehly is doubling down and opening his checkbook.
But Chelsea isn’t the only team making moves during the winter window. Premier League rival Liverpool has already struck with a move for Cody Gakpo, while Manchester United and Arsenal are lining up big moves of their own.
As we near the midway point of the transfer window, here is our weekly roundup of the moves being made and the biggest rumors edging toward the finish line:
Enzo Fernández
The biggest rumor of the winter transfer window has apparently cooled off. After winning FIFA Young Player Award honors at the World Cup, Fernández was linked with rumors of an astonishing $129 million bid from Chelsea—reportedly nine million more than his release clause in order to pay the fee in installments.
It seemed like a matter of when and not if Chelsea would sign the central midfielder, but talks have since broken down. After previously accusing Chelsea of unsettling the player and trying to convince him to force a way out, Benfica coach Roger Schmidt said the issue is now “closed.” However, it’s still early in the transfer window and anything can happen, especially with a cash-rich, struggling side like Chelsea.
João Félix
As the Fernández rumors fizzle out, Chelsea made a big splash to bolster its attacking line. On Wednesday, the club announced it had signed Atlético Madrid star João Félix on loan through the end of the season. Reports suggest the club is paying around $11.8 million plus Félix’s salary for the next six months—a stunning figure for a loan.
Curiously enough, the loan deal reportedly doesn’t have a buy option at the end of the season—Atlético Madrid signed Félix to a contract extension before shipping him to London. So this really appears to be a short-term fix, considering Christian Pulisic is set to miss a couple of months, and Raheem Sterling is waiting on an injury diagnosis of his own.
Félix was a surprise addition to Chelsea’s attack on a loan until the end of the season.
IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
Wout Weghorst
Desperate for help at the central forward position, Manchester United appears to have found its man in Weghorst. The striker was a breakout star for the Netherlands at the World Cup, mostly for his super-sub heroics to singlehandedly bring the Dutch back from a two-goal deficit against Argentina in the quarterfinals. Now, he is close to the biggest move of his career.
The 30-year-old is on loan from Burnley to Turkish side Beşiktaş, where he has recorded eight goals and four assists in 18 league matches. However, Sky Sports reports Man United has a loan agreement in place with Burnley, which would require Beşiktaş to release Weghorst from his current loan deal. It seems like only a matter of time until Weghorst is wearing red.
Memphis Depay
The Dutch star’s name has popped up recently in the latest transfer rumors with Barcelona looking to offload his salary and multiple big clubs interested. Depay has only made four appearances across all competitions for Barça this season and scored as many goals at the World Cup as he has for Barcelona all season: one.
After missing out on Félix, Manchester United is reportedly intrigued by a sensational return move for Depay, who left the club in 2017. Meanwhile, Juventus has also been linked with the forward, although the biggest rumor sends Depay to Atlético. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano says the two La Liga sides are set for talks this week.
Mykhailo Mudryk
The noise over Arsenal’s potential transfer splash has only intensified since the turn of the new year. Last week ESPN reported the Gunners have made a second bid for the 22-year-old winger after Shakhtar Donetsk turned down a €65 million ($69.8 million) opening offer; however, the Ukrainian side is reportedly holding out for around €100 million.
Mudryk is an exciting prospect in world soccer for his speed and creativity, and could certainly help in Arsenal’s title push. But it might be a steep cost for the Gunners to pay for someone who is just now enjoying his breakout season in the Ukrainian Premier League with seven goals in 12 games. Time is ticking before the transfer deadline and Mudryk’s value is likely only to increase, so Shakhtar currently sit in the driver’s seat at the negotiating table.
Mudryk is considered one of Europe’s most exciting prospects.
IMAGO/Newspix
Benoît Badashile
Chelsea has not had a problem with spending big in the winter. Along with shelling out nearly $30 million combined for David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos, the Blues dropped £35 million ($42.4 million) on Badashile. Unlike the club’s other signings, however, Badashile is expected to have an immediate impact.
At just 21 years old, the center back has made 135 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco over the last five seasons. Now he arrives at a Chelsea club sitting in 10th place in the league and struggling through an injury crisis. The ceiling is high on Badashile, but he’ll have to adapt quickly.
Daley Blind
In one of the more surprising moves of the window, the Netherlands veteran saw his contract with Ajax mutually terminated in order to make a free transfer to German giant Bayern Munich. After leaving Manchester United in 2018, Blind came up huge with 190 appearances for Ajax in the last four and a half seasons.
The 32-year-old brings his reliability and versatility to the top of the Bundesliga table. After the injury to Lucas Hernández, Bayern now has a defender who can play at both fullback positions, center back and as a defensive midfielder. In the end, it’s quite a handy bit of business for a player who brings Champions League experience to an already stacked team.
