Benfica look at La Liga defender for center back opening

Benfica are reportedly interested in signing 24-year-old Cameroonian centre-back Flavien Boyomo from La Liga side Osasuna as they seek a successor to veteran captain Nicolas Otamendi, who departed the club at the end of the 2025-26 season and returned back to Argentina.

Born in Toulouse, France to Cameroonian parents, Boyomo developed at Toulouse's academy before moving to Blackburn Rovers’ youth side in 2016. He played his first senior level game in 2020 with Albacete, making over 90 appearances, before joining Real Valladolid in 2023. He played a key role in their promotion and transferred to Osasuna in 2024 for €5 million, where he has established himself as a reliable starter in La Liga.

The right-footed defender is noted for strong ball-playing ability, progressive passing and is a solid one-on-one defender, though his aerial duels remain an area for improvement. Osasuna have a €25 million release clause on Boyomo and are known to be difficult negotiators.

For Benfica, securing Boyomo would represent a solid, long-term investment while reinforcing their backline. Negotiations have yet to begin as Benfica are still in the information gathering stage of their pursuit and may move on from the player if Osasuna maintains a firm stance on their star defender.  

Benfica schedule of games for July released to fans

Benfica have released their upcoming schedule of games that include two high profile pre-season friendlies in the Algarve against Flamengo and Villarreal before beginning their 2026-27 Europa League second round of qualifying fixtures against Swiss side St. Gallen.

Benfica will take on Brazilian side Flamengo on July 11 and Spanish club Villarreal on July 17 in friendlies with both games taking place at the Estadio Algarve. There UEFA season will then commence as they face St. Gallen on July 23 in Switzerland in the first leg and will then play the second leg at the Luz on July 30.

With World Cup 2026 underway, Benfica will be short a host of regular players for all the games as new manager Marco Silva believes that all players participating at the World Cup deserve to have two weeks off after their country is finished playing at the competition.

Benfica will still have a handful of regulars available including any possible signings over the next month to chose from but expect to see some academy players be included in the squad for both the friendlies and Europa League games. 

The players at this time from last seasons squad that should be available for July set of games include:

Anatoliy Trubin, Antonio Silva, Samuel Dahl, Alexander Bah, Georgiy Sudakov, Manu, Leandro Barreiro, Rafa Silva, Vangelis Pavlidis and Franjo Ivanovic. Gianluca Prestianni is available but is currently suspended by UEFA.

Benfica inquires about free agent striker Mauro Icardi

Portuguese giants Benfica have made initial inquiries for experienced Argentine striker Mauro Icardi, who is set to become a free agent after spending the past three seasons Galatasaray. At 33, the prolific forward may look to be seeking a new challenge in a competitive European league and Benfica views him as a cost-effective, high-impact option to bolster their attacking line.

The Eagles are interested in Icardi’s proven goal-scoring instincts and with questions around squad depth, the need for a clinical No. 9 to compete in the Portuguese League and European competitions becomes all that more important. Signing the experienced Argentine on a free transfer would represent strong value. 

Icardi’s ability to hold up play, finish with both feet and perform in big matches aligns with Benfica’s ambitions for domestic dominance and deeper runs in European games. This past season with Galatasaray, Icardi delivered 16 goals and 3 assists across 47 appearances in all competitions. He netted 14 goals in 31 Super Lig matches, adding contributions in domestic cups while featuring in the UEFA Champions League.

Icardi began his senior career at Sampdoria before shining at Inter Milan, where he served as captain and became a fan favorite. He later moved to PSG and joined Galatasaray in 2023, initially on loan and has scored prolifically for the club with 77 goals in 134 appearances. Should negotiations progress, Benfica could secure a veteran finisher capable of immediate impact. Icardi’s salary demands could be an obstacle for Benfica, after earning slightly over €9 million with Galatasaray last season.