Chelsea Battles Man United and Liverpool For £87million Benfica’s Star Silva

Chelsea has entered the race alongside Manchester United and Liverpool in the pursuit of the highly coveted Benfica sensation, Antonio Silva.

Benfica manager Roger Schmidt has warned suitors of centre-back Antonio Silva that the 20-year-old will not be allowed to leave the club this winter.

Infoexpert24 understands that Manchester United and Liverpool have both sent scouts to watch Silva alongside midfield teammate Joao Neves, while reports in Spain have named Real Madrid as an interested party after David Alaba’s ACL injury left them in a major injury crisis.

Neves is understood to be holding talks over a contract extension with Benfica but Silva, whose current deal contains a €100m (£88m) release clause, has been tipped to leave in January by a handful of reports across Europe.

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In response to suggestions either Neves or Silva could leave, Schmidt made it clear that Benfica will not be picking up the phone this winter.

“I talk to them every day, all of them,” he told a press conference. “We’re in the middle of the season, we have big goals with Benfica.

“Of course we’re not going to let these players leave, we need them and they don’t want to leave. There’s no question about that.”

Manchester United has identified Silva as their prime target for the forthcoming summer transfer window, keeping a keen eye on the talented defender since October.

Silva’s meteoric rise has been nothing short of remarkable. Despite making his senior debut just last season, he has swiftly garnered attention globally, even earning a nomination for the prestigious Kopa Trophy alongside stars like Jude Bellingham and Rasmus Hojlund in 2023.

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The young defender played a pivotal role in Benfica’s triumph, contributing to a meager 20 goals conceded in 34 games, ultimately securing the Primeira Liga title for his team. Now, as the battle intensifies among the footballing giants, all eyes are on where Silva’s future will unfold.

Silva is interesting Europe’s elite / Carlos Rodrigues/GettyImages

However, Benfica are unwilling to sell and though Silva has a release clause, it is worth €100million (£86.7m), meaning the Red Devils will wait until the end of the season to make their move.

But this could allow rivals Chelsea to swoop in and hijack the transfer withThe Sunreporting that the Blues have been scouting the centre-back for several weeks and are determined to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

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It has been claimed that the West Londoners are unsatisfied with their current backline as Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile have underperformed, while Wesley Fofana has barely played because of injuries.

Furthermore, reports say that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have already held talks with Benfica over the Portugal international and have made a lucrative bid of £52m plus striker Armando Broja.

This offer was swiftly rejected however, with Benfica telling Chelsea that if they want Silva they must trigger his release clause.