Benfica monitoring situation of Joao Palhinha at Bayern

Recent reports indicate that Benfica are closely monitoring the situation of Joao Palhinha at Bayern Munich and are interested in signing the Portuguese midfielder for the 2025-26 season although no formal offer has been made.

Palhinha has struggled to secure a consistent spot in Bayern's starting XI and the club may be open to selling Palhinha to recoup the €55M plus bonuses that they paid Fulham in the summer of 2024 to acquire the 29 year old.

A transfer fee slightly lower then what the German giants paid could be enough to get the deal done or Benfica could look at purchasing 50% of the players rights to make the switch to the Lisbon based club.

Palhinha would have to agree to join Benfica and after spending nine seasons with cross town rivals Sporting, it may be a tough sell on Benfica's part to convince Palhinha to return to Portugal and don the club's red jersey.

Palhinha appeared in only 24 games across all competitions with Bayern this season and failed to score or provide a helper in 941 minutes of action. Palhinha did miss around ten weeks of action due to a right abductor injury suffered during his time with the Portugal national team in November.

Benfica searching northern Europe for left back

Keita Kosugi is a 19-year-old Japanese left-back currently playing for Djurgardens in the Swedish Allsvenskan and according to reports coming out of Europe, Benfica are one of several clubs interested in acquiring the services of Kosugi.

Benfica is eyeing a permanent transfer for Kosugi following his impressive performances in the Allsvenskan and the UEFA Conference League, where Djurgardens reached the semi-finals this season. However, they face competition from clubs like PSG, Atalanta and Celtic, with a "fierce battle" expected for his signature.

Kosugi is small in stature but his electric pace and explosive acceleration allow him to cover large distances and remain dynamic throughout matches. He is also no slouch on the defensive side of the game, excelling in one on one situations.

Benfica see Kosugi as a potential replacement for current starter Alvaro Fernandez, who is being courted by La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid for a move this summer. No price points have been released at this time but Benfica are always looking for value buys and hope that acquiring Kosugi is no different. 

 

Benfica looking for Di Maria replacement at Celtic

Benfica are said to be looking to Celtic for the potential replacement to Angel di Maria who confirmed today that he will be rejoining childhood club Rosario Central next season with his final Benfica appearances coming at the Club World Cup.

Benfica look to have interest in Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn, however, there are no confirmed details on the transfer fee or of any negotiations going on at this stage for the 25 year old German.

Historically, Benfica and Celtic have had successful transfer dealings, with players like Jota and Paulo Bernardo moving from Benfica to Celtic, first on loan and later permanently. Jota, for instance, joined Celtic on loan in 2021, was signed permanently in 2022 for £6.4M and later transferred to Al-Ittihad for £25 million in 2023. Similarly, Bernardo’s permanent move to Celtic was finalized in 2024 after a loan spell. 

Kuhn joined Celtic from Rapid Vienna in the winter of 2024 for €3.5M and appeared in 51 games across all competitions, scoring 21 goals while providing 15 helpers in 3,286 minutes of action.