Liverpool are set to be dealt a blow in their hopes of signing one transfer target, according to reports from Portugal.
Record have claimed (via Sport Witness) that despite Antonio Silva welcoming interest from the Reds, he has no desire to move to the Premier League, instead setting his sights on fulfilling his dream to become captain of Benfica.
The centre-back – who has a €120m (£103.6m) release clause in his contract at the Estadio da Luz – is in no hurry to leave his current club, and it’s also understood that he views fellow suitors Real Madrid as ‘the greatest club in Europe’.
Silva made Portuguese football history at last year’s World Cup when he became the youngest-ever player to represent his nation at the tournament in their 2-1 group stage defeat to South Korea (Jornal de Noticias).
The 19-year-old has also made a big impression on one former Liverpool defender in Abel Xavier, who’s spoken highly of the teenager’s ‘security, maturity, vision of the game, assertiveness [and] aggressiveness’ and has backed him to become a future captain of Benfica (Record).
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The youngster marries astute ball distribution with a no-nonsense defensive mindset – as per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe for pass completion (91.6%) and the top 8% for tackles won per game (2.17).
His astronomical release clause speaks volumes for just how highly he’s regarded at the Estadio da Luz, and as seen with the £106.8m sale of Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea earlier this year (Sky Sports), the Lisbon club certainly know how to drive a tidy profit on players.
It’s a pity that a player of Silva’s undoubted quality and potential doesn’t seem interested in joining Liverpool, although the early weeks of the season have suggested that there may be a long-term in-house option brewing in the very capable Jarell Quansah.
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