Roger Schmidt, the head coach of Benfica, claims that another club is “disrespecting” his team by pursuing their midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
The World Cup champion player from Argentina has been strongly linked to Chelsea, who are reportedly in talks with Benfica over the 21-year-old.
Benfica is requesting that Fernandez’s €120 million (£106 million) release clause be fulfilled, with a sizable portion of the transfer money paid up front.
When Sky Sports News contacted Chelsea over Schmidt’s comments, Chelsea declined to respond.
According to Portuguese sources, Fernandez asked to miss Benfica’s match against Braga on Friday. However, the midfielder played 89 minutes in the team’s unexpected 3-0 loss to Braga, the Primeira Liga leaders’ first setback of the year.
In his pre-game press conference, Schmidt discussed Benfica’s upcoming match against Portimonense on Friday at home.
Fernandez is believed to be eager to leave the Portuguese club during the January transfer window, becoming the most expensive acquisition in Premier League history if Chelsea matched his release clause.