Madrid jump ahead of Barça in the race for Argentina's Enzo Fernandez

Enzo Fernández has become one of the must-have players on the market. In fact, the Argentine midfielder was already attracting the attention of many clubs by completing a sensational season in the Champions League with Benfica and Barcelona had watched him and asked questions. Now it is Real Madrid who have taken the lead. As reported by the Portuguese newspaper 'Record', Los Blancos are going all out for Fernandez and right now he is seen as a priority for their new project.

The midfielder joined Benfica from River Plate for around 15 million euros for eighty percent of his rights. It was a masterful operation that Barça could have completed more than a year ago, but it was not approved due to the delicate financial situation at the Catalan club. Enzo has exploded at Benfica and has confirmed his quality at the World Cup. His release clause is 120 million euros, but Benfica usually negotiate.

Madrid have also been following the Argentine for some time and there is already the conviction that he is a top-level player. They know that it will have to strengthen in midfield soon because Toni Kroos is likely not to renew and Luka Modric is coming to the end of his career. Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) is another option, but several Premier League clubs are bidding for him and his valuation could become astronomical. Fernandez is now a priority target.

Barça view Enzo Fernández as a good alternative to Sergio Busquets for next season, but the final price could leave the Catalan club out of any deal. At the moment, at Barça it seems very difficult to opt for this signing and there are other alternatives on the table.