The first hurdle is European football
For Chelsea, the first obstacle in signing Andreas Schjelderup isn’t Benfica’s asking price. It’s the absence of Champions League football. The 22-year-old winger has reportedly told the club he wants to play in the competition next season, a condition Chelsea can’t meet after finishing the 2025/26 campaign without European football. That leaves the club trying to make its case without one of the most visible attractions available to a Champions League side.
The distinction matters because a transfer isn’t decided by a fee alone. A player weighing his next step may consider his role, the level of competition and the chance to appear on Europe’s biggest club stage. Schjelderup’s reported preference doesn’t prove that he’s ruled out Chelsea permanently, but it does make the immediate pitch harder. For a club looking to rebuild confidence after a difficult season, that’s a meaningful constraint.
That response narrows the market for a Benfica player who could be available for around €40 million, despite a €100 million release clause. According to Record, via Sport Witness, Chelsea made an enquiry and discussed a possible summer transfer. Schjelderup’s preference appears to have ended that route for now. The gap between the reported valuation and the clause could make the deal financially plausible, but it can’t resolve the more basic question of whether the player wants to join.
Chelsea’s search follows a difficult debut season
The club is surveying the left-wing market after Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens struggled in their first season at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea paid a combined €102.2 million for the pair, who scored one Premier League goal between them in 2025/26. That return makes scrutiny of the club’s options understandable, though one season’s output doesn’t settle what either player can become. A search for alternatives makes sense, but a winger isn’t considered a top priority.
That qualification points to a familiar squad-building tension: a club can see room for improvement in a position without making it the next item on its list. Chelsea may be assessing the market while weighing other needs, and a player’s availability doesn’t automatically make him the right use of limited attention or resources. If you’re working in this space, the key question isn’t just whether Schjelderup fits the left wing; it’s whether Chelsea can offer him a role and a sporting plan that outweigh the missing European competition.
Schjelderup offers a stronger recent record. He scored 10 goals and set up seven more in just under 2,600 minutes last season, continuing his progress since joining Benfica in 2023. Those figures suggest meaningful attacking contribution, though they don’t by themselves establish how he’d adapt to the Premier League or to Chelsea’s demands. He’s currently with Norway at the World Cup, where he has made two substitute appearances. A limited number of appearances there offers little basis for a firm judgment about his prospects at club level.
The reported €40 million valuation reflects Benfica’s acquisition cost as well as the player’s contract clause. The club paid €9 million to sign him in January 2023, then loaned him back to Nordsjaelland the following summer for a €2.5 million fee. That puts Benfica’s effective outlay at about €6.5 million. The difference between that figure and the reported asking range helps explain why Benfica could regard a sale as attractive, even with a far higher release clause in place. It doesn’t tell us what fee the club would ultimately accept or how the transfer terms might be structured.
Champions League access shapes the race
Chelsea isn’t the only club to hear Schjelderup’s preference. AC Milan reportedly received the same answer after missing out on a Champions League place following a poor end to its season. Liverpool have also been linked, while Como are understood to be pursuing a deal with Benfica. The reports describe a crowded field, but the clubs don’t appear to be in equivalent positions: a link is not the same as a formal offer, and a player’s stated preference is only one part of a negotiation.
Como’s appeal is straightforward: Cesc Fabregas led the club to Champions League qualification, giving it the competition Schjelderup wants. That’s a substantial argument for a club seeking to attract a player with several possible destinations. And yet access to the tournament doesn’t remove the practical questions around the move. Como is preparing for another ambitious transfer window, but its spending plans face competing demands. Real Madrid have reportedly quoted Como €60 million for Nico Paz, and Como may also need to moderate its outlay in light of UEFA regulations.
(And this is the part most people overlook.) A Champions League place can strengthen a club’s pitch, but it can also sharpen the choices that club has to make. If Como is pursuing more than one expensive target, its interest in Schjelderup will have to compete with those other priorities. The available reporting doesn’t establish how Como will rank those pursuits, or whether Benfica and the Italian side are close to an agreement.
What the preference means for Chelsea
My read is that Schjelderup’s position gives Champions League qualifiers a clear advantage, even with Benfica reportedly open to a fee well below his release clause. This is more significant than it looks: Chelsea’s challenge isn’t simply to identify a talented winger at a workable price. It must also persuade the player that its project is worth joining without European football next season.
That can affect how Chelsea approaches the rest of its search. The club can keep assessing left-wing options, but the Schjelderup situation suggests that sporting context may narrow the pool before price becomes decisive. Chelsea’s need for alternatives is understandable after Garnacho and Gittens’ first season, yet the club’s own priorities may limit how much it can pursue a winger. A target who offers a stronger recent record still has to fit both the squad and the player’s ambitions.
Schjelderup’s route remains uncertain. The reports point to interest from several clubs and a clear preference for Champions League football, but they don’t establish where he’ll play next season or whether Benfica will complete a sale. For Chelsea, the immediate lesson is simpler: its winger search can continue, but its lack of European football has already complicated one of its more promising options.