According to Record (via SportWitness), Benfica defender Antonio Silva is aware that Manchester United and Real Madrid are interested in signing him.
The 19-year-old is one of the best young centre-backs in Portuguese football and he has been fancied to pursue a bigger challenge away from Benfica. Over the weekend, respected journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that United are keeping tabs on the teenager, and this has been backed up by the Record.
The source claim that the youngster is aware of the interest from United as well as Madrid. However, he is not concerned over the same and is happy and focused on Benfica’s season. The Portuguese giants have sold several talents for big money, but Record claim that Silva’s future will only be decided next summer.
Huge potential
Silva made his breakthrough with Benfica in September last year after an injury crisis in the squad. He has since established himself as a key player at the heart of their backline. As per Sofascore, he has completed 94% of his passes in the Portuguese top-flight this season. He has also won 6 duels, 4 tackles & 4 clearances per outing.
At such a young age, he is already playing with such maturity and there are no surprises that United and Madrid are looking at his signature. Madrid may have the upper hand with their huge success and reputation, but United are not far behind them despite the fact they are far away from their glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The teenager currently has a £88 million release clause on his contract and any interested outfit may have to pay the figure up front or negotiate instalments for a higher transfer sum. Chelsea negotiated the latter option with Benfica when they signed Enzo Fernandez during the 2023 January transfer window. United may contemplate the same solution, but they may have to wait until the summer, considering their Financial Fair Play problems.
