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Liverpool face competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea following their interest in Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez, according to Spanish news outlet Sport.
Chelsea are said to have entered the race for the 21-year-old with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho both set to be out of contract at the end of the current campaign.
Fernandez only moved to the Portuguese giants last summer from River Plate on a five-year deal for what looks to have been a bargain €10millon (£8.7million) plus €8million (£7million) in add-ons (Fabrizio Romano).
Liverpool have experienced a number of injury issues to their midfield personnel already this season with Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arthur Melo and Naby Keita all having missed matches.
Fernandez made 54 appearances during his time with River Plate, contributing with an impressive 12 goals and 10 assists which has since seen him rewarded with two caps at international level for Argentina (transfermarkt).
The Sports View
Benfica have a great track record of nurturing young talent before looking to sell for a sizeable profit, which is what exactly they did in the summer when they sold Darwin Nunez to Liverpool.
Both Liverpool and Chelsea need an overhaul in midfield with Henderson set to be 33 before next season and question marks over whether Kante will accept a short contract at Stamford Bridge.
