Benfica coach: We are being disrespected in Fernandez chase

Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt says the Portuguese side are being "disrespected" by another club in pursuit of their midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

The Argentina World Cup-winning star has been heavily linked to Chelsea, with the Premier League side understood to be in ongoing talks with Benfica regarding the 21-year-old.

Benfica are demanding that their €120m (£106m) release clause for Fernandez is met - with a sizeable chunk of the fee paid up front.

"There is a club that wants him, they tried to attract him, but they know that they can only have him if they pay the clause," Schmidt said on Thursday.

"It's disrespectful to all of us, to Benfica, they're driving the player crazy, they pretend they want to pay the clause and then they want to negotiate."

Chelsea declined to comment when approached by Sky Sports News regarding Schmidt's remarks.

Sources in Portugal claim Fernandez requested to be left out of Benfica's game at Braga on Friday, but the midfielder played 89 minutes in a surprise 3-0 loss to Braga - the Primeira Liga leaders' first defeat of the season.

Schmidt was speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Benfica's next game, which is at home to Portimonense on Friday.

Fernandez, who would become the most expensive signing in Premier League history if Chelsea met his release clause, is understood to be keen to leave the Portuguese club during the January transfer window.

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