João Neves nears exit
It seems increasingly likely star midfielder João Neves will leave Benfica this close season to join Paris Saint-Germain, becoming the latest product from the prestigious Seixal academy to earn the Lisbon club a pot of money. A transfer fee of around €75 million has been mooted.
While many Benfica fans despair at the Eagles selling their young jewels before they have fully left their mark at the Estádio da Luz, the supporters could be placated immediately should speculation surrounding two former “made in Seixal” stars proves well founded.
Club president Rui Costa admitted on the weekend that talks are taking place for the possible return of João Félix and Renato Sanches.
Costa spoke to journalists at a ceremony in Switzerland on Saturday to open the Geneva delegation of the Casa do Benfica network. When questioned about the potential return of Félix and Sanches, he replied:
“It was not only Di María who we brought back to Benfica. We proved we can do this with Gonçalo Guedes too. What we want is good players and if we can have players who also know the club and know Portuguese football it’s an added advantage.
“Of course all these names are speculation at the moment, which is part of how the market works. There is still a month and a half for the market to close, and as you have seen it’s been very slow so far. Perhaps because of the Euro, perhaps because of the Copa America, there has not been much movement in market.
“It’s going to start moving now, I have no doubts about that, and we’ll be very attentive and we will certainly choose the best squad for Benfica.”
João Félix moved from Benfica to Atletico de Madrid in exchange for €126 million in 2019, but has struggled to live up to the staggering transfer fee, both at Atleti and in two subsequent loan periods at Chelsea and Barcelona.
Renato Sanches is deemed surplus to requirements at PSG, having failed to reignite his career in a loan move to Roma last season. Sanches was sold by Benfica to Bayern Munich in 2016 for €35 million.
At the time he was considered one of the most exciting young talents in world football. He had helped Benfica win the Primeira Liga in his debut season and then played a significant role in Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph. He was named young player of the tournament.
But his career has been blighted by injuries, and he has rarely reproduced his best football for Bayern, Swansea, Lille, PSG or Roma. Still only 26 years old, Benfica will be hoping a return to his home-town club can bring about a change in fortunes.
This week Sanches was training at the Portuguese Football Federation’s Cidade do Futebol headquarters, alongside two former Seleção team-mates who also enjoyed the peak of their careers in the summer of 2016, Adrien Silva and Cédric Soares.
Adrien, 35, and Cédric, 32 were released by Rio Ave and Arsenal respectively at the end of last season are currently seeking a new club.
by Tom Kundert
