Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez is set to stay at the club, the player’s agent has confirmed amid rumours to the contrary that he is already considering an exit from Stamford Bridge.

Fernandez joined Chelsea last January for what was then a British record £108m, moving to west London from Benfica within weeks of winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina and signing an unfathomably long eight and a half year contract until the summer of 2031.

But the 23-year-old, who walked away from the World Cup in Qatar with the award for best young player, has struggled to consistently perform and justify his immense transfer fee. Chelsea have generally struggled throughout that time, sinking into the bottom half of the Premier League.

Agent Uriel Perez has, however, denied there are any plans to look for a new team.

“The player has no intention of leaving,” Perez told AS, directly refuting recent speculation.

“The [Chelsea] leaders were very clear with this project. It is a plan that was going to be difficult at the beginning because new and young players were going to arrive, but when the pieces of the team fit together well, Chelsea was going to move forward.

“Enzo Fernandez’s desire is to be on the team and succeed. We don’t meet with any clubs or try to talk to any clubs. We know what the player’s desire is. Obviously, he would like the club to be in another position, but that will be achieved with work.”

A FootballTransfers report that gained considerable traction on social media had directly referenced Perez opening talks with “various clubs” to explore opportunities away from Chelsea.

Fernandez was not the only new signing to sign an unusually long contract upon joining the Blues. Without naming names, The Athletic has noted that some have “privately expressed regret” over the lengthy of the deal they signed and do not currently see the project that was originally sold.

As many as 13 players in the squad have a contract until at least 2030, with Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson all tied down until 2031.