According to A Bola (via SportWitness), Chelsea have already made a £52 million-plus bid to sign Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva this month.
The London giants have been struggling in the Premier League this campaign and they have been inconsistent on both sides of the field. Their defensive record was one of the best in the early weeks of the season, but the club have been conceding plenty over the past few months which should concern manager Mauricio Pochettino.
A Bola now reveal that Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in signing Silva. The former made a bid of more than £52 million for the highly-rated centre-back, but it was not sufficient to convince the Portuguese champions. Benfica are adamant that they won’t sell the 20-year-old for less than his £86 million release clause.
Huge potential
Portugal have produced some talented young defenders over the past few years and Silva is one of them. The youngster only made his debut for Benfica in September 2022 but has quickly transformed into a regular player for club as well as country. Benfica are aware of his huge potential and are reluctant to lose him for less than his clause this winter.
Chelsea are currently not in a position to pay the fee with possible Financial Fair Play concerns, but they can’t be ruled out from securing his services. The Blues were in a similar position last season. Benfica held out for Enzo Fernandez’s £103 million release clause, but the London club convinced them by agreeing to pay a higher fee over several years.
Silva would be an outstanding addition to the Chelsea squad. He is strong with the ball at his feet, but also likes to engage in duels and tackles and clears his lines when required. The Blues could persuade Benfica with a similar proposal as Fernandez’s, but the big question mark is whether Silva will be tempted to join a struggling Premier League club.
Chelsea are currently facing a realistic prospect of missing out on Champions League football for the 2nd year running while they may not qualify for Europe too. Real Madrid are also firm admirers of the Portuguese starlet, but they may only consider a summer approach. Silva could decide to wait until the summer to assess the options on the table.
