Barcelona have joined the race to land Benfica's central defender Ruben Dias according to reports from Catalan paper Mundo Deportivo who states that Dias is one of the names on the club's scouting agenda for some time. Barcelona joins the likes of Manchester City who are also monitoring the player. The paper also states that Benfica President Luis Filipe Vieira wants Dias' €100M buy out clause met in any negotiation and is not open to sit at the table to discuss the players move otherwise. Dias has appeared in 124 games across all competitions for Benfica, scoring eleven times and setting up another five since becoming a regular starter with the club during the 2017/18 season.
The Portuguese Football Federation is currently debating if there will be a Taca de Portugal final this season due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The Taca de Portugal which is normally the last game of the Portuguese season was set to take place on May 24 between Benfica and FC Porto but unless the the P.F.F. gets the green light from the Directorate of General Health that the game can be played amid under strict restrictions the P.F.F. will not proceed with the game. The Federation has said it will not reach this conclusion without speaking to the two clubs involved but would not go against the Directorate if they were told the game could not be played. The Federation has accepted that if the game was to go forward it would be played in an empty stadium with the date and stadium to be determined.
Carlos Gabriel is the latest Brazilian linked with a move to Benfica according to reports coming out of Portugal. The 20 year old Gabriel is on Benfica's list of future targets and has been loaned by parent club Atletico Mineiro to Parana until the end of November. Gabriel plays the left back position and could be seen as the heir apparent to current starter Alex Grimaldo. Gabriel came through the Mineiro youth system and spent the past two seasons with the main squad before being loaned to Parana in January for more playing time. Gabriel is known in Brazil as Hulk due to his build and is strong on the ball while being surprisingly quick. Benfica hopes to see the player in person in the near future once the world is back to a somewhat normal place.
