Benfica looking at Gil Vicente midfielder

Benfica are being linked with Gil Vicente defensive midfielder Lucas Mineiro according to reports coming from Portugal who is currently on loan with the Barcelos club from Brazilian side Chapecoense. Gil Vicente has an option to purchase the 25 year old and will activate the clause by seasons end with the intention to sell the player for a profit. Benfica rivals Braga are also said to be interested in Mineiro who joined Gil Vicente in September and has appeared in 28 games across all competitions, scoring twice while adding one helper. Benfica who are not interested in spending the kind of money they did last summer on player acquisitions feels that Mineiro can be had at an affordable price and is a player that is already accustomed to the style of play within the league.

Benfica ready to negotiate Krovinovic with Nottingham

Benfica are ready to negotiate the sale of Croatian midfielder Filip Krovinovic with Nottingham Forest and are said to be open to lowering the €10M price tag that they have put on the acquisition of the 25 year old. Krovinovic opened the season with West Brom but after the departure of manager Slavan Bilic, he saw his playing time reduced. Benfica ended the loan spell and moved Krovinovic to Nottingham in January were the player has appeared regularly for the Reds. Krovinovic joined Benfica in the summer of 2017 from Rio Ave for €3.5M and appeared in 28 games for the club, scoring twice while setting up another across all competitions. Krovinovic last appeared for Benfica in March 2019 and has spent the past two seasons on loan between West Brom and Nottingham Forest.

Benfica being linked with Wolves left back

According to reports coming out of Portugal, Benfica have been watching Wolverhampton left back Ruben Vinagre who is currently on loan with Famalicao until seasons end and have liked what they have seen from the 21 year old Portuguese youngster. Vinagre has started twelve straight games at Famalicao since joining the club in January and Benfica could be looking at Vinagre as the potential replacement for Alex Grimaldo who's time at the club may be coming to an end while the Lisbon side is able to cash in on the Spaniard.

Vinagre joined Wolverhampton on a permanent basis in the summer of 2018 from Monaco for €2.25M and has a contract until the summer of 2024. Benfica have not had any formal talks with Wolverhampton about Vinagre but are currently scouting the player at Famalicao along with two other Famalicao players, defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte and keeper Luiz Junior. Vinagre could be had for a reasonable price if the two clubs are able to come to an agreement over the summer.

Benfica badge selected as one of the best in the world

Football magazine Four Four Two has selected Benfica's emblem as the 15th greatest ever badge in the world in their recently released article of the Top 100 Greatest Football Badges. Benfica's current badge has been in use since 2000 and Four Four Two had this to say about the clubs badge;

"Such is the ostentatious golden eagle in the background of Benfica’s crest that for years, no one has noticed the sodding bicycle wheel behind the crest. Well, did you see it?

The cursed Lisbonites have sported this badge since 2000, though the combination of all these parts goes back as far as 1906. What’s unusual is that blue, green and white heavily feature in the design - colours of Porto and Sporting, Benfica’s biggest rivals. Somehow despite the weird bike wheel, it doesn’t feel anything other than stately and majestic."

FC Porto also made Four Four Two's list selected as the 74th best badge ever.

Benfica tops Portuguese clubs in IFFHS decade rankings

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics released their best teams of the last decade (2011-2020) in European football and Benfica was tops among Portuguese clubs on their released list. Benfica earned 1762 points to finish 20th amongst all European clubs and were closely followed by FC Porto who totaled 1758 points for 21st spot on the list. Sporting with 1371.5 points sat 59th while Braga ranked 69th with 1287 points. The outcome of the IFFHS list is decided by taking into account every teams continental points earned per season over the ten years and adding them together. Barcelona topped the IFFHS list, followed by rivals Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG and Atletico Madrid.

 

Milan make contact with Benfica for striker Nunez

Italian side AC Milan have been in contact with Benfica representatives about their interest in acquiring striker Darwin Nunez for next season as the Milan club looks to bolster their attack. Milan currently have two strikers soon to be over the age of 35 in Ibrahimovic and Mandzukic and with both strikers more prone to injuries, they prefer a youngster  to link up with Portuguese striker Rafael Leao. Milan wants a more reliable striker as they look set to make a return to Champions League action.

Nunez who was acquired by Benfica over the summer from Almeria for a club record €24M has appeared in 34 games across all competitions scoring twelve goals while setting up another nine but has been hampered by an injury over the last month or so. AC Milan are said to have opened the bidding at €50M for Nunez but Benfica value the 21 year old at a more hefty price based on his €150M buy out clause. The negotiations are at their infancy and you can expect the price to go up higher if Milan are serious in acquiring the Uruguayan international.

Benfica President tells Jesus to use academy players

Benfica President Luis Filipe Vieira has already informed manager Jorge Jesus to not expect the type of funds spent last summer on players and for the Benfica manager to use academy players that will be returning to the club from their loans for next season. Benfica spent a record €115.5M on new player acquisitions in the summer but has seen little return on their investment with the club currently sitting in fourth place in the league and besides making the Taca de Portugal final is out of all other competitions.

Benfica also failed in reaching this seasons Champions League group stage which resulted in the club selling star center back Ruben Dias to make up the lost revenue. Benfica currently have academy players Gedson Fernandes, Jota, Florentino, Ferro, Tiago Dantas and Tomas Tavares on loan elsewhere but Jesus in his typical stubborn fashion feels that these players are not ready to play for the club at this time. Benfica currently have only three academy players with the club in Diogo Goncalves, Goncalo Ramos and Nuno Tavares, with only Goncalves seeing regular playing time.

Benfica players set for International duty

Benfica gets set for a pause in action with the International break upon us after Sunday's game against Braga and will only return to action on April 3rd against Maritimo which is almost a full two weeks without any real game action. Jorge Jesus will still be working with the players that remain as they look to continue their better play of late but will be without the players below who will be on International duty with their respective countries, South American nations are not in action again until June.

Portugal - Rafa Silva

Greece - Odysseas Vlachodimos

Morocco - Adel Taarabt

Belgium, Germany and Switzerland have yet to announce their squads which could see Jan Vertonghen, Luca Waldschmidt and Haris Seferovic depart as well for qualifiers.

Benfica ready to sell Estadio da Luz naming rights

Benfica has teamed up with WME in a sports partnership to find a lead sponsor for the Estadio da Luz, it is the first time that the club has had a naming rights partner and WME will also lead the search for a sponsor for the teams youth academy. The Estadio da Luz has not had a sponsor since opening in October 2003 and the club is looking globally to sell the naming rights of its two most prized possessions. Benfica are hoping that this move will give the club more international exposure as it looks to maximize its brands potential. WME has plenty of experience in the sponsorship game working in the past few years with the NFL's Denver Broncos and NBA's Los Angles Lakers.

Jorge Jesus delighted with fans possible return

Jorge Jesus was excited with news received today of the potential return of fans to the stadiums in April before the end of the season. Jesus said at Benfica, the fans are the 12th man of the club and although he knows that the stadiums will not be full to capacity, the warmth and affection from the clubs fans will be as if it was. Jesus also said that any amount of fans would be good for the game with players unaccustomed to the sound of a crowd in a long time. Benfica last played in front of a large crowd on March 2, 2020 when they took on Moreirense at the Estadio da Luz, over 40,000 spectators attended the game.

Benfica and Bahia talking about Conti

Benfica and Brazilian club Bahia are currently talking about a move for central defender German Conti who has not played for Benfica since January of 2019 after arriving in the summer of 2018 from CA Colon. The 26 year old who has a contract with Benfica until the summer of 2023 failed to impress in his short ten game stint with the club and spent the 2020 year on loan with Mexican club Atlas. Conti rejoined the club at the start of the year but is not in manager Jorge Jesus' plans and has been training separately from the main squad, whether the clubs are discussing the sale or the player or a loan has not been released at this time.

Benfica linked to Boca Juniors winger

Benfica are being linked to a summer move for Boca Juniors winger Sebastian Villa according to reports coming out of the Argentine press. Benfica's scouts have identified the 22 year old Colombian international as one of its top targets when the summer transfer window opens. Villa joined Boca Juniors in the summer of 2018 from Deportes Tolima and has appeared in 77 games across all competitions for Boca, scoring seven goals while setting up fourteen. Villa can play both right and left wing and can be used in the midfield if required. The club with Jorge Jesus at the helm continues to look to South America to bolster their squad, over looking players in the Portuguese league and its own Seixal academy, a formula that has not worked out well to date.

Franco Cervi turns down move to Palmeiras

Brazilian club Palmeiras are interested in the services of Benfica midfielder Franco Cervi but the 26 year old Argentinian has no interest in moving back to South America and if he is to depart Benfica prefers to continue his career in Europe. Cervi was also linked last year with Argentinian club Boca Juniors but turned down the move for the same reasons. Cervi has been with Benfica since the summer of 2016, appearing in 166 games across all competitions, scoring 21 goals while setting up 26.

Benfica book spot in Taca de Portugal final

Benfica booked their place in the Taca de Portugal Final were they will take on Braga in the season ending game of the Portuguese League season after a 2-0 victory over Estoril earlier today. Benfica entered the second leg game against Estoril after a 3-1 road victory in the first leg looking to just hang on and give some of their regular starters a rest. Benfica got goals from surprise starter Goncalo Ramos and Waldschmidt in the second half, with Estoril not presenting much of a threat managing just one shot on goal. Benfica will now play Braga at Jamor on May 23rd, their first encounter in the Taca final in the cups 100+ year history.

Benfica look to move into Taca de Portugal final

Benfica go into Thursday's Taca de Portugal second leg against Estoril with a 3-1 first leg advantage as they look to clinch their place in the final for only the fifth time in the past 15 years. Benfica have had an extremely disappointing season to date and will look to hang onto their advantage to play for the season ending trophy which may be their only hope for some hardware this season with the league championship far from reach. Benfica would face the winners of the FC Porto-Braga showdown, as they try to capture their 27th Taca de Portugal championship in club history.

Jesus says Helton deserves to be number one keeper

Benfica manager Jorge Jesus addressed the clubs goaltending change after the Rio Ave game that saw Helton Leite move into the number one role ahead of previous starter Vlachodimos over the past few weeks. Jesus stated that the club can only play one goalie and felt that Helton has earned the chance to be the clubs number one keeper over Vlachodimos who has been the clubs number one since his arrival in the summer of 2018. Jesus said that Vlachodimos' return to goal will all depend on the play of Helton and to date he feels that the 30 year old keeper has been solid in net for Benfica since taking over the role. The move for those that know Jesus was only a matter of time, as the manager has always liked larger goalies and Helton stands at 1.96 meters which is 0.05 meters taller then Vlachodimos.