Benfica have announced a poorly held secret with the acquisition of striker Jhonder Cadiz from Setubal. Benfica have paid Setubal a reported €3M for the Venezuelian 23 year old and signed him for the next five seasons. Cadiz arrived in Setubal last summer from Monages SC a Venezuelian club for an undisclosed amount and had a decent first season in Portugal, enough so that it caught the eye of the league champions. Cadiz appeared in 35 games for Setubal in all competitions, scoring ten times. Cadiz is the second reinforcement of the summer for Benfica.
Benfica have had an offer for 19 year old winger Brian Rodriguez rejected by Uruguayan club Penarol, who felt that Benfica's offer was too low to consider. Benfica are currently talking to Penarol about Cristian Lema making a move from the Lisbon club to Uruguay and are hoping that a deal for Rodriguez could be added to the negotiations. Rodriguez in his first year with the main squad appeared in nine league games, scoring once and assisting on four goals.
Benfica have announced the signing of winger Caio Lucas who will join the club this season from Al-Ain FC on a free transfer. Lucas has signed a contract with Benfica until the summer of 2023 with a buy out clause of €45M. Lucas appeared in 28 games for Al-Ain in all competitions last season scoring seven times while assisting on eleven goals. Lucas is Benfica's first official signing of the summer season as the club moves towards bolstering the squad as they look to defending their league championship.
