Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Cool On €120M Enzo Fernandez

Liverpool’s transfer plan heading into the 2022 offseason was to make a major midfield signing, with Aurélien Tchouaméni at the top of their list, and to then make another major midfield signing in summer of 2023, with Jude Bellingham top of their list.

When Tchouaméni went to Real Madrid instead and their backup plans falling through, the plan became to do their entire midfield overhaul in 2023. However, injuries and struggles on the pitch have now forced the club to consider January reinforcements.

The imminent arrival of Cody Gakpo is a major signing, but that doesn’t address midfield needs. The 21-year-old Argentina and Benfica star Enzo Fernández would, and Reds fans have been excited by links to him, but his fee seems to increase by the day.

Over the past week, reports out of Portugal have spiralled up to €120M, with Manchester United and now Chelsea said to be willing to pay it while the Reds ponder matching. Now, though, reports out of England suggest that if true, the Reds won’t match.

Given the nature of the reports out of Portugal, it seems reasonable to ask if United or Chelsea are in fact willing—especially United, beaten by the Reds to Gakpo as they tried to haggle a better price—to or if those stories are Benfica seeking a payday.

For the summer, Bellingham remains the top target for Liverpool, while in January there remains a desire to bring in a midfielder, with Sofyan Amrabat and Moisés Caicedo perhaps the most commonly linked players aside from Fernández in recent months.