€100m World Cup star's brutal response to Chelsea talks revealed

Updated: 26 Jun 2026 12:03 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Chelsea have received a chastening response from Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup after holding talks with him over a summer transfer.

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The Blues are scouring the left-winger market for potential options after Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens endured a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge in 2025/26.

The pair cost a combined €102.2 million but only scored one Premier League goal between them. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that Chelsea are looking for potential upgrades, even if signing a winger is not a priority.

Current ETV

Andreas Schjelderup

F, M (L)

Benfica

Andreas Schjelderup

F, M (L)

Benfica

ETV Range

€19.8M - €24.1M

One player they have taken a liking to is Benfica starlet Schjelderup, who is currently at the World Cup with Norway. The 22-year-old has made two substitute appearances so far for the Scandinavians.

Schjelderup has steadily improved since joining Benfica in 2023, and he is coming off a season in which he bagged 10 goals and produced seven assists in just under 2,600 minutes.

Schjelderup snubs Chelsea

What makes Schjelderup so attractive is the fact that Benfica are said to be willing to accept a fairly reasonable fee (by their standards) of around €40m despite the 22-year-old's €100m release clause.

This is due to the fact that the Norwegian effectively cost Benfica just €6.5m. They paid a €9m fee for him in January 2023, before sending him back to Nordsjaelland for a €2.5m loan fee the following summer.

According to Record (via Sport Witness), Chelsea recently made an enquiry for Schjelderup and held discussions over a potential summer move.

However, his response was clear: he wants to play in the Champions League next season, which is something the Blues can't offer after their dire end to the previous campaign left them without any kind of European football for 2026/27.

AC Milan, who endured a similarly disastrous final weeks of the season, received the same response from Schjelderup. Liverpool have also been linked with the youngster, while Como are understood to be hopeful of striking a deal with Benfica.

The Serie A side qualified for the Champions League under Cesc Fabregas and are planning to once again go big in the transfer market, though whether they will be able to sign Schjelderup and pay the €60m Real Madrid have quoted them for Nico Paz remains to be seen.

Como have accumulated one of the largest net spends in Serie A since returning to the league in 2024, but they now need to be mindful of UEFA regulations, which may force them to be a bit more conservative with their spending.

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