The last time Chelsea raided Benfica for a midfielder it led to a pretty successful period in the club's history.
Nemanja Matic was signed in 2014 from the Portuguese club and eight years later Enzo Fernandez looks to be following the same path.
Matic became a Chelsea player in January 2014
Enzo Fernandez looks set to swap Lisbon for London in the coming days
The World Cup winner is close to sealing a switch to Stamford Bridge in a deal that would smash the Premier League transfer record.
Chelsea will splash a reported £112million on the 21-year-old midfielder – £6m more than his release fee of £106m.
The Blues are hoping the arrival of Fernandez will help lift the cloud over what has been a stuttering season so far with Graham Potter's side languishing in ninth place, 18 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
The switch will evoke memories for Chelsea fans of another midfield capture from Benfica when Jose Mourinho lured Matic back to the club in January 2014.
Mourinho told Chelsea's board that Matic should be prioritised as part of his squad rebuild following his second spell in charge.
Matic was a makeweight in the £23.5m deal to bring David Luiz to Chelsea in 2011 and spent three years establishing his career at the Estadio da Luz.
The Serbian international quickly built his reputation with a host of fine displays under the then coach Jorge Jesus, helping the club to the league title in 2014.
Nemanja Matic built his reputation at Benfica before returning to Stamford Bridge
Matic helped Chelsea win two Premier league titles in 2015 and 2017
Matic quickly became a household name under Mourinho and played a key role in Chelsea securing two Premier League titles in three years – either side of Leicester City's miraculous triumph in 2016.
Mourinho's bold move to bring Matic back to the club gave Chelsea the impetus to challenge for the trophy and they will hope the acquisition of Fernandez can provide the boost needed to get back amongst the chasing pack.
Mourinho has signed Matic on two occasions as a manager at both Chelsea and later at Manchester United
Fernandez has been in fabulous form for Benfica since his £9m switch from River Plate in the summer.
His adaptation to European football was quick and helped the Portuguese giants top their Champions League group ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
The Argentine has played a leading role as Benfica surged to a five-point lead at the top of the Portuguese league ahead of Porto.
But his future appears to be in west London as he fights it out with Jorginho, Denis Zakaria, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek for a place in Potter's starting midfield.
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