Benfica turn once again to Cruzeiro striker Kaio Jorge

Benfica have once again turned their attention to Brazilian striker Kaio Jorge of Cruzeiro, according to recent reports. The 24-year-old forward was heavily linked with a move to the Eagles back in 2021 while at Santos but ultimately made the decision to join Juventus instead.

The Juventus choice did not pan out for Kaio, who struggled to make an impact in Serie A, managing just 11 appearances and no goals over three years. A loan spell at Frosinone yielded three goals in 22 matches, before he returned to Brazil with Cruzeiro in mid-2024 for €7.2 million. 

The move back to Brazil has proven to be the correct one with Kaio exploding in form, during the 2025 season. He netted an impressive 26 goals across competitions, including 21 in the Brasileirao, along with  seven assists, helping establish himself as a top scorer and earning him his first call up to the Brazil national squad.

Cruzeiro are now demanding a substantial €30 million fee for the in-form striker. Benfica coach Marco Silva is said to be an admirer of the player's profile but the club would likely need to offload one of their current strikers, with Franjo Ivanovic being the likely option to fund any deal for Kaio.

Flamengo are also circling with serious interest, driving up the price to any potential transfer. Kaio’s resurgence in Brazil has made him once again a high-value target capable of bolstering Benfica’s attack if  the club sorts out the financial side of the deal.   

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.