Chelsea trigger clause in January signing’s contract to extend deal until 2032

Enzo Fernandez gets his contract extended by a year as Chelsea trigger a clause

According to Cesar Luis Merlo (h/t Football.London), Chelsea have activated to extend the contract of Enzo Fernandez by a year to keep him at the club until the summer of 2032.

The Argentine World Cup was signed for a British transfer record fee of £106.8m in the January window. At the time, the player had signed a deal till 2031.

Chelsea have extended that by a year to lower the transfer fee amortisation cost to avoid Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The new contract tenure means that the transfer fee is now worth £11.25million-per-year plus wages.

It is a clever move from the club as they realise that playing European football next season is highly unlikely (even more so after the first-leg defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final).

The Blues have used this technique while signing players for big money. But having no European football next season may cause issues if the FFP is properly executed.

Coming back to football, although the team’s form hasn’t improved since his arrival, Fernandez has settled in well and looked like a player who would be influential once the structure of this team is humanely set. Right now everything seems a mess at the club.

Such is the quality of the 22-year-old that clubs may come for his signature if Chelsea don’t improve in the coming season or two. And we won’t blame him if he would want to leave in that situation as well. Then again, that is what we have contracts for and fans would back Todd Boehly to ensure he is held to it in such an event. It seems like the Argentine has committed the majority of his career to Chelsea already at such a young age.

More Chelsea News:

• Enzo Fernandez wants to be a leader and serve as an example at Chelsea
• Rio Ferdinand says Chelsea have a ‘problem’ of scoring goals, visible in 2-0 loss vs Real Madrid
• Chelsea emissaries hold talks with emissaries of Barcelona star Gavi

Let’s hope that things get sorted out in the summer and that a new manager is appointed who can restore some order. This is still a good team that lacks a striker. Give them one in the transfer window and we might potentially see them flying next season.