Should Benfica make a move for Empoli midfielder Jacopo Fazzini

Benfica continue to look around as they try to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season and the club would be wise to add to its midfield this summer in a cost effective move that could pay dividends on the field and in their cash box.

With Empoli's relegation to Serie B this season it opens the doors to summer moves for many of its squad's players who are not looking to play division two football next season. One of the players that could be of interest to Benfica is midfielder Jacopo Fazzini.

Why Benfica should consider such a move for the 22 year old Fazzini comes down to his potential on both sides of the ball from the midfield position. Fazzini plays well in a box to box midfield and excels in high possession, high energy system as evidenced by Lazio's interest in him joining their club system.

Fazzini's age also fits well into Benfica's model of acquiring and investing time in young talent who can develop and contribute to the main club. The club hopes to bring out the best in a player like Fazzini and in doing so, sell the player for a profit to a bigger club in Europe.

Fazzini is currently with Italy's Under 21 squad as they prepare to play in this summers edition of the Euro U21 championship. The 22 year old scored six goals last season across all competitions for Empoli while providing one helper in 1,556 minutes of action. 

Benfica would be challenged by Italian clubs Lazio and Torino who have both been linked to the services of Fazzini and Empoli is said to be asking for around €15M to move on from a player that has been with the club since 2017. 

Benfica looking at Braga youngster for summer move

According to reports out of Portugal, Benfica are looking at Braga's 19 year old winger Roger Fernandes as a potential summer replacement for the departing Angel di Maria.

Benfica have been in contact with Braga to inquire about Roger's transfer conditions, Braga value the winger at €20M but he has a release clause of €40M which gives Braga the leeway to negotiate for a price tag that they are comfortable moving on from the player.

Benfica's interest remains strong for Roger even though Braga's current value of him is currently beyond what Benfica are willing to pay to acquire the players services. Benfica are hoping to negotiate a reasonable price with Braga for the move to happen.

Roger has already appeared in 84 games across all competitions with Braga and has scored 11 goals while providing 15 assists, he is currently with Portugal's U21 who will be headed to Slovakia to compete in the UEFA Euro U21 tournament.

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.