Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

New Chelsea man names signing Todd Boehly must make in summer as £70m star labelled ‘great’

Mykhaylo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has urged Blues chairman Todd Boehly to sign one player in the summer transfer window to help Graham Potter turn the club’s fortunes around.

Fernandez became the Premier League’s most expensive player when Chelsea paid Benfica a huge £107million for him. Chelsea had tried to sign Fernandez for much less but Benfica told them he would only move if his full release clause was met, and this eventually happened.

The Argentina international has gone on to play four times under Graham Potter. While he is still getting used to life in England, he looks set to play an important role in the Chelsea midfield for years to come.

Despite landing 19 new players since a Boehly-led consortium bought Chelsea, more new arrivals are expected at Stamford Bridge this summer. They will be involved in the chase for West Ham’s Declan Rice, although Arsenal are the frontrunners for him as things stand.

Chelsea will also battle Manchester United for Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen.

But Fernandez has told Boehly to prioritise the permanent signing of Joao Felix at the end of the season.

READ MORE: Devastating Man Utd and Chelsea target ‘offered’ summer switch after eye-catching Tottenham snub

The attacker joined Chelsea on loan from Atletico Madrid on January 11. He has impressed in recent weeks, despite Chelsea stuttering under Potter.

When asked about Felix during an interview with The Guardian, Fernandez said: “He called me when I got here to ask if he could be any help.

Enzo Fernandez hopeful Chelsea can complete signing

“When you get on with someone it helps on the field. He’s a great player, isn’t he? Let’s hope that Chelsea can do all they can to keep hold of him.”

Felix remaining fit and getting among the goals will be important if Chelsea are to qualify for any kind of European competition. They currently sit in 10th place, so the Champions League appears to be out of reach. But Potter’s side could still make the Europa League or Europa Conference League if they manage to improve their results.

Trusted sources such as David Ornstein and Ben Jacobs report that Potter will be given until next season to turn things around. But if Chelsea are to get back into the top four next term, then keeping Felix will be crucial. He is becoming their creative spark.

According to a recent report from Spanish outlet Cadena Ser, Atleti will hold out for €80m (£71m) when selling Felix to Chelsea this summer.

This is obviously a huge sum, but it would not be a surprise if Boehly pays it. He has shown in the last two transfer windows that he will stop at nothing to give Potter the best squad around.

However, Chelsea may have to offload several players before they are allowed to spend £71m on Felix so they avoid Financial Fair Play sanctions. Hakim Ziyech, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all likely to be sold.

Meanwhile, sensational reports claim Tottenham could raid Chelsea for a big-name forward.