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 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 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.
