ISTANBUL 

Chelsea on Wednesday signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record transfer fee on an eight-and-a-half-year contract, the Portuguese club confirmed on Wednesday.

"Benfica informs that it has reached an agreement with Chelsea FC for the sale of all the rights of the player Enzo Fernandez, for an amount of €121m ($131.8 million)," Benfica said in a statement.

"Benfica ... will still have to deliver to River Plate the amount corresponding to 25 percent of the transfer value deducted from the amounts of the solidarity and intermediation services," it added.

The 22-year-old Argentine is the currently most expensive signing in Premier League history, eclipsing the $123 million Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish in 2021.

Fernandez, who formerly played for River Plate, was part of Argentina's World Cup-winning campaign in Qatar 2022.