Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti remains a huge fan of Liverpool-linked player: Reports

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly a big admirer of Liverpool target and Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez, 21, has emerged as one of the most exciting talents in the world due to his rapid rise in stature at both club and country level. Since arriving from River Plate for €10 million earlier this summer, he has registered three goals and five assists in 24 games for Benfica.

A right-footed box-to-box operator, Fernandez turned heads with his stellar performances for Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He scored one goal and laid out one assist in seven appearances, bagging the Young Player of the Tournament award in the process.

According to Diario AS, Ancelotti is a huge fan of Fernandez and has been awed by his debut FIFA World Cup campaign. The Real Madrid boss mentioned him the most during his tournament analysis as the Santiago Bernabeu outfit is still in search of a first-team midfielder.

Real Madrid are interested in luring Fernandez away from Benfica to replace Luka Modric in the near future. However, the Primeira Liga side are expected to demand a fee of around €120 million for the Argentine.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are bidding to complete a midfield overhaul with the signing of Fernandez. The Reds have a pre-agreement for the player, who is keen to move to Anfield in the future, as per O Jogo.

Both the interested parties are also set to lock horns for the signature of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, who is valued in the region of €150 million. Manchester City are also in the race for him.

Liverpool are set to lose James Milner, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and Naby Keita on free transfers in the summer of 2023. To replace them, the club are currently monitoring the likes of Sofyan Amrabat, Declan Rice, Mohammed Kudus, Moises Caicedo, and Sander Berge.

Why did Real Madrid and Liverpool target bag 2022 FIFA World Cup accolade?

In his BBC newsletter, Germany legend and FIFA Technical Study Group member Jurgen Klinsmann shed light on the reason behind Enzo Fernandez being handed his 2022 FIFA World Cup award. He wrote:

"For the FIFA Young Player Award, we wanted to select someone from a side who reached at least the semi-finals, and so this ruled out some outstanding candidates such as England's Jude Bellingham. Of the players aged 21 or under who did reach the semi-finals, Enzo Fernandez was the outstanding choice."

The Real Madrid and Liverpool target is expected to return to action for Benfica in a Primeira Liga contest against Braga away from home on Friday (December 30).