Aheed Abrar
SL Benfica defender Antonio Silva on Manchester United transfer shortlist
Manchester United have SL Benfica defender Antonio Silva on their shortlist in the ongoing transfer window, according to 90min (h/t Express).
Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard is of interest to the Red Devils. However, the France international is deemed expensive by the Old Trafford side, with the Bundesliga giants demanding £34 million plus add-ons to part ways with him. To that end, the club have their eyes on other alternatives.
The Portugal international is one of the five names United are keeping an eye on. Apart from the 19-year-old, Edmond Tapsoba, Jean-Clair Todibo, Perr Schuurs and Jarrad Branthwaite are on the Red Devils’ radar.
Silva made his way through the youth ranks at Benfica before establishing himself in the starting lineup in the previous campaign. The youngster has become a key player for Roger Schmidt’s team.
The defender caught a lot of people’s attention in the 2022/23 term. Last season, the Eagles lost just four games in the league. They also made it to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Silva was also part of Portugal’s squad for the 2022 World Cup. While the centre-back only made one appearance in Qatar, he has shown immense potential.
At Man United, Harry Maguire looked set to leave the club in the coming weeks. However, the England international’s deal to move to West Ham United has now been called off.
Therefore, for now, we have the likes of Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and the former Leicester City star in our backline. Luke Shaw was also deployed in central defence on a few occasions to good effect in the previous campaign.
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Silva is a talented centre-back who seems to have huge potential. However, the Red Devils have enough depth in their defence as things stand. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the Old Trafford side will pursue the Portuguese further down the line.
