Benfica continue to look at bolstering their squad for next season even as the league continues on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest player that the club has been linked to is River Plate center back Lucas Quarta. Benfica joins a host of clubs that have been linked to the center back, those clubs include West Ham, Inter Milan and Valencia. The 23 year old Quarta is a home grown River Plate player that has come through the clubs famed academy and plays a position of need for Benfica with the possibility of summer sales of their current starting center backs, Benfica who have also been linked with Freiburg center back Robin Koch will need to bolster the position. Quarta has appeared in 96 games for River Plate across all competitions since debuting with the main squad in 2016 and is signed until the summer of 2021 with a buy out clause of €20M. According to reports out of Portugal, River Plate may be willing to accept an offer of €15M to let Quarta depart the club.
Benfica and FC Porto look set to lock horns once again but this time the clubs will be doing it off the field as both battle to acquire Eduardo Gabriel Aquino Cossa better known as Pepe from Gremio. The 23 year old winger has the interest of both clubs according to reports from Brazil but do to the current COVID-19 pandemic going across the club his agents upcoming trip to Europe to talk with potential suitors has been cancelled. Pepe has a contract with Gremio until the end of 2022 and joined the Brazilian side in April 2016 appearing in 64 games and scoring 12 goals. Gremio currently owns 70% of the players rights and is said to be asking for €20M.
Benfica are set if they are to move on from current number one keeper Vlachodimos as the Greek International has been linked with a summer move to Italian clubs Inter Milan or Napoli. Reports out of Turkey have Benfica linked to current Trabzonspor starter Ugurcan Cakir to take over the number one role as the Turkish International garners interest from some of Europe's bigger clubs with Arsenal, Leicester City and Tottenham all linked to the 23 year old. Cakir has appeared in 33 games across all competitions for the Turkish league leaders allowing 39 goals while maintaining 4 clean sheets. The Turkish clubs President Ahmet Agaoglu has gone on to say that he feels Cakir is one of the top three keepers in Europe and future starter for the Turkish National side as he looks to drive up the price from what is a reported €20M. Benfica came close to landing Juventus keeper Perin over this past summer for €12M along with a Seixal academy prospect but a failed physical by the Italian put an end to that move. Benfica could try the same type of approach for Cakir to lower Trabzonspor's asking price and land Vlachodimos replacement for next season.
