Benfica tell Galatasaray to move on from Bah

Turkish side Galatasaray has had a €12M offer made for Benfica right back Alexander Bah rejected by the club, but the defending Super Lig champions are not going to give up so easily in their pursuit of the Danish international.

Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk envisions Bah as the perfect choice for his club's right side of the back four, but Benfica prefers to retain the 26 year old unless they receive an offer that knocks their socks off to move on from Bah during the summer.

Bah arrived at Benfica in the summer of 2022 from Slavia Prague for €8M and has appeared in 74 games across all competitions, scoring three goals while providing eleven helpers. Bah battled injuries throughout the 2023-24 season and Benfica is hoping that the worse has passed in regards to them.

 

Clubs start to pick up interest in Arthur Cabral

Benfica striker Arthur Cabral is becoming a wanted man as the 26 year old gathers interest from a variety of clubs in Europe and the Middle East. Cabral looks to be the odd man out since the arrival of striker Vangelis Pavlidis from AZ Alkmaar earlier in the transfer window, as the club has a trio of high priced strikers at their disposal, but manager Schmidt's system only calls for one to be used at a time.

Cabral arrived last summer from Fiorentina in a €20M deal in the hopes of replacing Goncalo Ramos, who departed for PSG but the Brazilian never seemed to be the right puzzle piece. Benfica have spent €56M in the past year on Cabral, Pavlidis and Marcos Leonardo but will need to move on from one of the trio and Cabral looks to be the odd man out.

Spanish club Espanyol has been in touch with Benfica in hopes of acquiring Cabral on loan for the season, along with Italian clubs Genoa and Monza. Saudi League club Neom FC has also gotten in touch with the Lisbon side in hopes of striking a deal for a move by Cabral this summer.

Cabral played 1,965 minutes for Benfica last season, appearing in 43 games across all competitions, scoring 11 goals while providing 3 helpers with only 19 of those games being starts. Benfica would prefer to sell the striker over sending him out on loan as they look to recuperate the money spent last summer to acquire Cabral.

 

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.