Benfica snag Guimaraes midfielder away from Wolves

Benfica performed a coup over the weekend when they snagged Guimaraes midfielder Manu Silva away from a certain move to England and away from Wolverhampton. It had been widely claimed in the media that Manu was on his way to Wolves and was even held out of the club's weekend game against Arouca.

Benfica stepped in on the recommendation of manager Bruno Lage who is also the former manager of Wolverhampton and made a deal with their Portuguese counterparts to bring Manu to Lisbon. The 23 year old plays in the defensive midfield role and can also cover the center back position when required.

Manu is said to have preferred the move to Benfica over Wolverhampton as it presented him with the opportunity to play in the Champions League. Benfica will pay €10M to Guimaraes with €2M in potential incentives and will give Guimaraes 20% on the future sale of the player. Manu is signed until the summer of 2030 with a €70M buy clause.

Manu has appeared in 28 games across all competitions this season, scoring four goals while providing two helpers. Manu joined Guimaraes from Feirense in the winter of 2023 for €325K and will provide Benfica with some depth as the season progresses.

Benfica will return to action in Champions League

Benfica who are coming off a come from behind victory over Farense in the round of 16 Taca de Portugal, will return to action in the Champions League, league phase when they go head to head against Barcelona at the Luz on Tuesday January 21. Benfica will then travel to Italy to finish this stage of the competition on the road against Juventus the following week on Wednesday.

Benfica currently sit in 15th spot with the top 24 moving into the knockout stages of the competition. Barcelona currently sit in second spot while Juventus are just one place ahead of Benfica going into the final two games. A victory in either of these games would see Benfica continue in the competition, a draw or a pair of losses and the club will need some help in other games.

Benfica will take on Famalicao tomorrow in an important league game before their encounter with Barcelona mid-week. The club is hoping to have Angel di Maria back for these games after he suffered a knock in the Taca game and was substituted in the first half of the game. Early reports say that the injury is not considered serious.

Farense keeper back on Benfica radar

Farense keeper Ricardo Velho is once again being discussed with a potential future move to Benfica, with the two clubs set to go head to head in the Taca de Portugal's round of 16 tomorrow. The 26 year old will have a lot of the club's eyes on his performance against the club.

Farense is hoping to cash out on Velho, who holds a €10M buy clause, one that the Algarve club does not want to budge on, hence his longer than expected stay in Faro.

Velho has appeared in 90 games with Farense across all competitions after joining from Braga's organization in the summer of 2020. His appearances include action across all competitions that include both Portugal's top league and the second division.

Velho is no longer a keeper who just plays on a small club in Portugal after earning his first call-up to Portugal's senior squad this past October. Look for Benfica to bring the asking price for Velho down if any agreement is going to happen between the two squads.