Renato Sanches open to Benfica return

Renato Sanches very much wants a Benfica return, as rumours are high that the former Seixal academy product will head back to Lisbon from PSG. Sanches is said to have other options, but his preference is to return to his former club on loan for the 2024-25 season.

The potential loan would not cost Benfica a dollar, as PSG is open to paying all costs which would include paying all of Sanches' wages during the loan spell. PSG is currently in talks with Benfica for Joao Neves and looks to be sweetening the pot in hopes to lower Benfica's hefty price tag for the 19 year old.

Sanches was sold from Benfica in the summer of 2016 to Bayern Munich for €35M and has had a roller coaster of a career that has seen him go from highs, which include Ligue 1 team of the year, to lows that include, poor play and long stints injured, while making stops at various clubs that include Swansea, Lille and Roma.

Benfica sees Sanches' as an ideal replacement for Neves, if he is to depart the club and hopes that a return home can help revive the 26 year old's stalled career. Roger Schmidt is said to be onboard with the move for the midfielder who would add depth to the club if he can stay healthy.

 

Benfica bringing Angel di Maria back for another season

Benfica look to have agreed to a new deal with winger Angel di Maria to return to the Lisbon club for one more season after seeing his contract end on June 30th, according to a tweet by famed football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 36 year old seems to have looked at his available options and felt that Benfica is the best choice for himself and his family for at least one more season. Di Maria appeared in 48 games across all competitions, scoring 17 goals and setting up 15 assists in his return to Benfica.

Here is hoping that Roger Schmidt uses Di Maria a bit more efficiently than he did during the 2023-24 season, as the overuse of Di Maria did see the Argentinian look gassed at certain points towards the second half of the season. 

No information about the contract has yet to be released, but you would have to expect that Di Maria will sign a contract with a lower annual salary than the €9M+ that he was paid by the club in 2023-24. I can not say that I like the move but I can live with it if he is used better then he was last season by the manager.

New signing Pavlidis already heading for surgery

Benfica's newly signed striker, Vangelis Pavlidis will be out of action for a minimum of two weeks following his surgery to repair a broken right thumb, an injury suffered early into the club's second friendly against Spanish side Celta Vigo after landing on his thumb from an awkward fall.

The 25 year old Greek international got off to an exciting start with the club, scoring three goals in the club's first two friendlies after Benfica paid AZ Alkmaar €18M for the striker's services just a few weeks ago and hope that this minor setback, is just that, a minor setback as the club counts on Pavlidis to be a big piece of a club looking to recapture the league title this season.