Manchester United have reignited their pursuit of Benfica defender Antonio Silva, according to O Jogo.
The Portuguese newspaper claim that the Red Devils are considering their options after struggling to broker deals for Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.
Although Silva does have a €100m (£84m) release clause in his contract, Erik ten Hag’s side still believe they can secure the centre-back’s signature for an affordable price. While some fans on X would back the signing, others are sceptical about whether the club can afford the player:
Yes. Miles better than De Ligt.
— Kurt Hansen (@TrueUnitedFan81) July 26, 2024
Too expensive
— 🀄Teasy Maine🀄👨🏫▫️ (@IamSojiSamuel) July 26, 2024
Let’s go get him
— Nnamdi Obinna (@NnamdyOkechukwu) July 26, 2024
Just get de ligt
— pricey (@priceylad10) July 26, 2024
They can’t even afford £40 for De Ligt
— jfield03 (@jfield03) July 26, 2024
This would be a very good signing
— Scott Hendry (@scotthendry4) July 26, 2024
not happening lol
— loot. (@annonilol) July 26, 2024
Silva has been a long-term target for United
The 20-year-old was scouted by the Red Devils regularly over the course of last season, but speculation about a move had died down by the start of the summer.
The reason for that is likely due to United focusing their efforts on recruiting Lille's Leny Yoro, Branthwaite and de Ligt, but it appears that his name is back on the agenda.
Will the Portuguese international cost too much?
With the Red Devils seemingly reluctant to match de Ligt's valuation, which is said to be €50m (£42m) plus add-ons, it would be a surprise if the club managed to negotiate a deal with Benfica for a fee below that figure.
The Portuguese side are notoriously difficult to negotiate with and they won't be under pressure to sell Silva either if (as expected) they offload Joao Neves to Paris Saint-Germain.
