Man Utd on alert as crisis club could be FORCED to sell top talent
Tom Weber
- 27 Oct 2023 12:19 CDT
- 3 min read
Benfica are a shadow of last season's exciting team - and their bad form could force them to sell one of their top talents.
The Portuguese giants have struggled to recapture the form that saw them reach the Champions League quarterfinals last term. Though they are only a point behind domestic league leaders Sporting CP, the European performances of Roger Schmidt's side have been atrocious.
Benfica have thus far lost all three of their group stage games and a premature exit from the continent's premier competition looms large. This would see the Portuguese club miss out on some important revenues. To make up for the loss of this income, Benfica could look to cash in on Antonio Silva, according to O Jogo.
READ: Man Utd 'going backwards' under Ten Hag despite improved results
The Portuguese outlet asserts that Silva is believed to be the club's most valuable - and sellable - asset at the moment. With young midfielder Joao Neves going from strength to strength his value is still yet to skyrocket, while the stocks of Florentino Luis have fallen of late. This leaves highly-rated defender Antonio Silva as the talent that could generate the most income.
Man Utd to make a move?
The 19-year-old has many admirers among Europe's elite. Currently rated at €42 million by FootballTransfers' in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) algorithm, the Portuguese reportedly boasts a release clause of €100 million.
While Benfica may not insist on an interested club triggering that clause, they will still expect them to cough up at least €80m-90m, as per Fabrizio Romano.
READ: Ten Hag 'STUNNED' by Sky Sports report
Among the clubs heavily linked with Silva are Man Utd, but at this price, a deal may be tough to strike, though the Red Devils' financial position could improve once Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority investment is ratified.
In the summer, United wanted to offload Harry Maguire in order to fund the acquisition of a new defender. This didn't materialise and Maguire has recently impressed Erik ten Hag, so the idea of reinforcing the defence in the winter could yet change, potentially paving the way for other suitors to pounce on Silva.
