Benfica being linked with Velez Sarsfield center back

A buzz surrounds young Argentine defender Valentin Gomez as Benfica shows strong interest in acquiring the player from Velez Sarsfield, with River Plate also eyeing the 21-year-old center back.

His performance at Velez has caught the eye of a few suitors as he emerges as one of the best young backs in the Argentinian league. Benfica has the reputation for its successful scouting network, often identifying talents before they become mainstream stars. This type of move fits into the game plan on acquiring young players with high potential.

Gomez appeared in the U20 World Cup for Argentina during this past summer and has appeared in 106 games across all competitions for Velez since cracking the main squad in 2022. Velez is said to be looking for over €10M for the players services, a price tag Benfica will work to reduce.

Benfica may not make the move for Gomez during the winter transfer window as it looks to hold onto all it's current center backs but with Otamendi set to become a free agent at the end of the season and the potential departure of one or both of Tomas Araujo and Antonio Silva in the summer. This is a player the club wants to keep in it's sight lines.

Benfica find out potential opponents for Club World Cup

Benfica have learned their potential opponents for next summers Club World Cup when FIFA released the pots for this Thursday's draw earlier today which will take place in Miami.

Benfica have been slotted into Pot 2 along with rivals FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and RB Salzburg. These clubs will avoid being grouped together in the competition.

Benfica's potential opponents in the group phase will come out of Pots 1, 3 and 4.

Pot 1 - Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate and Fluminense.

Pot 3 - Al Hilal, Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, Ulsan HD, Leon, Monterrey, Boca Juniors and Botafogo.

Pot 4 - Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Hope of Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns and Auckland City. 

This will be the first edition of a 32 club format for the Club World Cup and the potential of €50M to €80M going to the tournament winner should make this an exciting first edition. 

UPDATED 12/05/24

Benfica will be in Group C after draw was held and will be in the same group as Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors and Auckland City while rivals FC Porto will face Palmeiras, Inter Miami and Al Ahly.

Benfica looking at increasing Estadio da Luz capacity

Benfica's home ground, the Estadio da Luz, is on the brink of a major transformation. President Rui Costa announced plans to boost the stadium's capacity to 70,000 seats yesterday. This bold move aims to welcome more fans and enhance the game day experience for supporters.

Currently, Estadio da Luz holds around 65,000 fans. However, many games see a full house, making it hard for die-hard supporters to get tickets. An expanded stadium would allow more fans to join in the excitement of match days while adding more funds into the club's coffers.

The club did not go into details of the financial side of this expansion, which will be crucial. Benfica would likely look at several channels to fund the project, through sponsorship deals, increased ticket sales and possible public and private partnerships.

Cost estimates for the expansion are not yet public, but it’s clear that sound financial planning will support this ambitious venture. Costa did state that the capacity increase would not change the club's current conditions of security, access, comfort and visibility. More to come on this amazing development.