Chelsea ‘extend long-term contracts for Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk’ – despite handing the pair EIGHT-and-a-half year deals when they joined for a combined £195m in 2023

Chelsea have exercised options to extend the contracts of Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk into their 30s, according to a report. 

FA documents released as part of their annual agent payment report last week, show that the pair have been beneficiaries of ‘updated contracts’. 

The Blues signed Fernandez for a then British record £107million fee from Benfica in January 2023 while Mudryk arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88m in the same window. 

According to The Standard, Fernandez has eight years left on his £180,000-a-week contract that runs until 2032 when he will be 31. Mudryk’s deal has seven years remaining on it, at a cost to the Blues of £97,000-a-week. The Ukrainian will be 30 when it expires in 2031. 

It is not known why the Stamford Bridge outfit has decided to exercise extensions in the deals with some much time remaining on them. 

Co-owner Todd Boehly has presided over a period of extraordinary spending at Stamford Bridge

Youngster Lewis Hall also had his contract extended last season before he joined Newcastle on an initial season-long loan set to be made permanent this summer. 

Chelsea’s unique financial situation was again brought into focus last week after the release of agent payments which showed the club had spent a staggering £75.1m on  fees in the 2023-24 campaign. 

The figures, covering the period from February 1, 2023 to February 1, 2024, showed how significantly the London club outspent their rivals.

It followed a summer of lavish spending by Chelsea, having signed Moises Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer and more in multi-million pound deals.

Their figure of £75.1m was more than all of the clubs in the Championship, League One, League Two and National League added together, which totalled £69.7m collectively.

The Premier League’s overall total was £409.6m, up from £318.2m the previous year.

After Chelsea, Manchester City were the next highest spenders on £60.6m, followed by Manchester United on £34m, Liverpool on £31.5m and Arsenal on £24.7m. 

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have struggled for consistency this season and find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League

Despite dropping two points in their last game against Sheffield United, Chelsea still have a realistic chance of finishing in the top-six and qualifying for Europe

However, the Blues have had precious little to show for their investment. Mauricio Pochettino’s side sit ninth in the Premier League, just above the likes of Brighton, Wolves and Fulham. 

Though, with at least two games in hand on the teams ahead of them, the Blues could yet secure a top-six spot and earn qualification for Europe next season – an objective which is crucial to their high-risk financial strategy. 

Chelsea are also still with a chance of claiming their first piece of silverware of the Boehly-Clearlake era, with them in the semi-final of the FA Cup. They take on Man City at Wembley on Saturday.