According to reports coming out of sports daily Record, Benfica currently have set their sights on Monaco right back Benjamin Henrichs with a transfer move coming as early as January for the 22 year old German International. Benfica have scouted the versatile fullback who can also play at the left back and midfield position also on several occasions this fall but know that they will need to open the purse strings if they are to land Henrichs from Monaco. Henrichs joined Monaco from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2018 for a transfer fee of €20M and Monaco are said to want something similar if they are to let Henrichs depart. The 22 year old has only appeared in six games across all competitions this season for Monaco as he has battled with foot and back injuries. Benfica who currently have youngster Tomas Tavares in the starting right back role with veteran Andre Almeida on the sideline nursing an injury are looking to add some insurance as they battle to win their seventh Portuguese crown in the last eight seasons.
Benfica winger Rafa Silva is set to make his long awaited return from injury in January of 2020 with the Lisbon Derby encounter against Sporting in mid January as the target game for his comeback. Rafa who has been out of action since October 23 after suffering an injury in Benfica's Champions League game against Lyon was off to a great start to the season before going down.
Rafa who appeared in twelve games across all competitions before the injury had chipped in four goals and four assists and was leading the Portuguese League in player rating per game. Benfica though have continued their march to winning another league championship and his replacement Franco Cervi has contributed to the clubs success after a slow start. Benfica are looking forward to adding Rafa to the roster in January and hope that he does not take too long to shake off the rust.
Spanish side Espanyol have their eyes on out of favour Benfica striker Raul de Tomas as the Spanish club look to move out of the basement of the Spanish La Liga and avoid relegation this season. De Tomas who joined Benfica in the summer for one of the highest transfer fees paid by the club at €20M has yet to find his groove in the Portuguese League and has become Bruno Lage's fifth choice up front behind starters Carlos Vinicius and Chiquinho. While last seasons leading scorer Seferovic is the clubs first choice off the bench followed of late by youngster Jota. De Tomas who wants playing time would welcome a move back to his native land but Benfica are reluctant to let the striker depart on a loan move as they look to recover some if not all of the cost of the player from Real Madrid this summer. De Tomas who has yet to score for the club in league play after appearing in seven games has a total of three goals across all competitions in 1042 minutes of action, which is a goal every 347 minutes of play. Benfica are hoping that De Tomas finds his form with the club but are ready to listen to any intriguing offers for the 25 year old striker and move on.
