Benfica sell Yaremchuk to Club Brugge

Benfica and Belgian side Club Brugge have come to terms on the sale of striker Roman Yaremchuk which will see the 26 year old Ukrainian International return back to Belgium after just one season with the Lisbon club. Benfica will receive €16M from Brugge with an additional €3M in potential incentives and will be entitled to 10% of any future sale.

Benfica obtained Yaremchuk last summer from Gent for €17M but this only gave the club only 75% of Yaremchuk's pass, Benfica acquired the remaining 25% from Gent earlier for €3M before the sale to Brugge. Yaremchuk appeared in 48 games across all competitions last season for Benfica, mostly as a substitute off the bench and scored nine goals while setting up eight. 

Yaremchuk's departure helps unlock a log jam at the striker position at the club and means that Benfica will hang onto striker Goncalo Ramos, who has become a regular fixture in Roger Schmidt's starting XI this season.

Benfica looking at Frankfurt midfielder

Benfica still have a few moves to play before the transfer window closes for most of the major markets later this week and the latest player that the club is linked to is Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada according to reports coming from Portugal and Germany. The 26 year old Japanese international can play a host of positions and would fit nicely in Roger Schmidt's system of choice.

Frankfurt are said to want between €10M to €15M for Kamada who's contract will expire at the end of the current campaign. Kamada joined Frankfury in the summer of 2017 and has appeared in 136 games across all competitions for the German side, scoring 28 goals while setting up an additional 27. Kamada was a key piece in Frankfurt's Europa League Championship run last season.

Benfica Champions League opponents and schedule

Benfica have learned their opponents for this seasons Champions League group stage and the schedule which is much more compact this season then usual thanks to World Cup 2022 kicking off in November. Benfica are joined in Group H by French Champions PSG, Italian side Juventus and Israeli club Maccabi Haifa, in what some are calling this seasons Group of Death.

UEFA have yet to release the full schedule only providing the days of when the fixtures will take place but Benfica will find out their opponent for the week in due course.

UPDATED WITH FIXTURES

Matchday 1: September 6 vs Maccabi Haifa

Matchday 2: September 14 at Juventus

Matchday 3: October 5 vs PSG

Matchday 4: October 11 at PSG

Matchday 5: October 25 vs Juventus

Matchday 6: November 2 at Maccabi Haifa

Round of 16 draw will take place on November 7, 2022

Benfica into Champions League group stage

Benfica cruised into the Champions League group stage after a 5-0 two leg aggregate win over Dynamo Kiev and will add €38M into their coffer from qualifying into football's most lucrative club competition. Benfica were required to take the long route and get past two rounds of qualifying to earn a place among Europe's elite 32 team tournament in the hopes of exceeding last season's quarter-final performance.

Benfica join fellow Portuguese clubs FC Porto and Sporting in the group stage, the eighth time that three clubs from Portugal will be among the 32 remaining UEFA clubs. This seasons group stage will award €2.8M per victory and €930K per draw, clubs moving onto the round of 16 will bag an additional €9.6M. Benfica had many players step up in their four qualifying games but none more so then striker Goncalo Ramos who chipped in four goals while setting up an additional two.

Benfica continue alternate winger search

Benfica are making sure to keep all their options open with the transfer window set to close in less then two weeks and one of the positions they are desperate to shore up is the wing. Benfica thought that an agreement for Braga winger Ricardo Horta was complete but bickering about the disbursement of proceeds between Horta's right holders Braga and Malaga have stalled and could potentially derail the whole negotiation.

Which has Benfica already looking for alternatives to Horta and the club have recently been linked with Velez Sarsfield's 22 year old winger Luca Orellano who is left footed and can play on either wing. Orellano's contract with Sarsfield has a buy out clause of €8M and his acquisition would be a much cheaper option then the Horta deal which is said to be for €16M + players. The next few days should be interesting for the club as they look to strengthen the squad for the first half of the season.

Benfica U20 ready for Intercontinental Cup

Benfica's U20 squad will travel to Uruguay to face off against Penarol in the first inaugural Intercontinental Cup for the youth league Champions of both UEFA and CONMEBOL. Benfica and Penarol will play their encounter in Montevideo's Estadio Centenario on August 21st in a ninety minute affair that would go to penalties if the game is level after regulation time.

Benfica's 2022 UEFA Youth League Champions will be without striker Henrique Araujo who scored a hat trick in the clubs 6-0 final victory in April as he is now part of the main squad but winger Diego Moreira has been given the green light to join the U20 squad on their trip. Benfica will have a familiar squad that impressed in their victory over Salzburg.

Benfica linked with Roma winger Kluivert

Benfica's move for winger Ricardo Horta continues to stall due to a breakdown in negotiations between Braga and Malaga who both own a percentage of the players playing rights. Benfica though are not taking any chances and are looking to alternative options with the transfer window just weeks away from closing until January.

One name that has popped up over the past few days is Roma winger Justin Kluivert, who's main position is no different then Horta's but he would come with a much bigger annual salary, just shy of €4M per season. The 23 year old has spent the past two seasons on loan already with RB Leipzig and Nice and does not look to be in Roma manager Jose Mourinho's plans once again.

Kluivert the son of former Dutch international Patrick appeared in 31 games across all competitions for Nice last season, scoring six goals while setting up another six. Benfica would prefer to close the Horta move after already agreeing on a five year contract with the player but need to keep their options open in case the deal falls through and Kluivert is on the agenda.

Benfica deals stalling over money

Benfica are still hoping to land a couple of players before the transfer window closes in a few weeks and two of the players most linked with the club for some time now are Braga winger Ricardo Horta and Feyenoord defensive midfielder Fredrik Aursnes but both of these acquisitions seem stalled now due to money demands by their respective clubs.

Feyenoord manager Arne Slot has recently stated that Aursnes will not be leaving the club after a breakdown in negotiations as the Dutch side are now demanding €15M for the Norwegian's services up from the earlier reported €10M, while the Horta situation is more complicated as Malaga still own 66% of the players playing rights and are currently in discussions with Braga over selling price.

Horta is said to have already agreed to terms with Benfica and the Lisbon side has tabled a €15M offer along with the playing rights of Gil Dias and a loan of striker Rodrigo Pinho. In other news Benfica have loaned midfielder Gabriel to Botafogo for a year with an option to extend the loan until the end of 2023.

Benfica advance to playoff round of Champions League

Benfica have advanced to the final playoff round of the Champions League after a convincing 7-2 aggregate victory over two legs against Danish club Midtjylland which concluded earlier today with a 3-1 away win. Benfica will now face Ukrainian club Dynamo Kiev who advanced in additional extra time over Sturm Graz.

The winner of this two leg playoff round will clinch a spot in the Champions League group stage and be awarded a hefty prize bonus of around €40M, while the other will drop down into the group stage of the Europa League. Benfica will play the first leg away on August 17 and host the return leg a week later on the 24th at the Luz. 

Dynamo will host Benfica in a neutral site game in Poland due to the on going war currently taking place in the Ukraine and have played in only four competitive games to date this year which have all taken place over the past few weeks as they to reach the group stage.

Roger Schmidt has high praise for Enzo

Benfica manager Roger Schmidt had high praise for recently acquired midfielder Enzo Fernandez after last nights league opening win, he admits to be pleasantly surprised with Enzo during the preseason and in the clubs first two competitive games as the 21 year old is already stepping up and providing the production from the midfield position which was lacking throughout most of last season.

Fernandez has scored in back to back games and is already taking a big step forward in his first trip across the pond and into European football. Schmidt also added that he has been impressed with Enzo's willingness to ask for the ball in risky situations and feels that he is in the right place to see his game grow.

Benfica make official bid for Aursnes

Benfica have made their first official bid for Feyenoord defensive midfielder Fredrik Aursnes according to reports from Portugal as the Lisbon club looks to add more reinforcements before the end of the transfer window. Benfica has been linked with Aursnes for weeks now but have only now offered Feyenoord €10M for the players services and talks are said to be going well.

Benfica kick off the league season tomorrow against Arouca at the Estadio da Luz and will go into the game looking to keep up their fine form under new manager Roger Schmidt which included a weekday win over Midtjylland in the first leg of a Champions League qualifier. this week. Benfica are also said to be progressing in talks with Braga for winger Ricardo Horta and have increased their offer to €15M plus a player.

Benfica need options in the midfield

Benfica are poised to move out more players before the transfer window closes in the next few weeks with the likely departure of midfielder Julian Weigl next on the list, followed by another midfielder in Soualiho Meite. This would leave Benfica rather thin in the midfield position with only newly acquired Enzo Fernandez joined by Joao Mario and Florentino as players that manager Roger Schmidt would be open to using regularly aside from a bunch of unproven academy players, which are headlined by Paulo Bernardo.

Benfica have already moved on from Pizzi this summer and have banished Adel Taarabt and Gabriel to practice with the clubs B squad so reinforcements are needed sooner rather then later as the club goes through the qualifying round phase of the Champions League commencing this week. Benfica have been linked to Feyenoord midfielder Fredrick Aursnes along with Shakhtar Donetsk's Maycon over the past few weeks but nothing has moved forward on those fronts.

 

Benfica could also look within their league for players that can fill the roles required while saving funds on the cost to acquire them. Famalicao's Gustavio Assuncao is a hidden gem that would be a more then an adequate replacement for Weigl in the clubs starting XI. Estoril's Andre Franco and Guimaraes' Andre Almeida are two other names that can shore up the clubs depth in the midfield, combined these three players have appeared in 171 league games so experience is not lacking.