It’s no big secret that Benfica are pretty smart when protecting their young players from big European sides.
Just last month, we’ve been covering several articles about Gedson Fernandes. The 19-year-old has made his debut for the Eagles and quickly got a call up for the national team.
All this success made him be linked to Manchester United, and unsurprisingly, Benfica tied him with a new deal, increasing his release clause from €60m to €120m.
Now the same is set to happen to João Félix, who has been linked to the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Newspaper O Jogo has a story this weekend saying that the Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira already has the youngster’s renewal in his agenda.
Just like Gedson’s, João’s release clause is also going from €60m to €120m. He’s also getting a pay raise and an extension to the deal that expires in 2022.
O Jogo claims that the player is ‘well referenced’ by clubs such as PSG, Monaco, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal.
Now even though Benfica are unlikely to sell these youngsters for that much, they are clearly increasing the level of protection for the time when negotiations are open. So it should get harder and harder to sign players from the Eagles.
