Benfica are really up for business this summer. After selling Ederson to Manchester City and Victor Lindelof to Manchester United, the word in Portugal over the weekend was that Nelson Semedo would be the next in line.
Newspaper Jornal de Notícias continued the theme on Monday, saying the Portuguese club are preparing to let the right-back go and finally reach a profit of €100m in the transfer market.
It’s claimed that Benfica and Barcelona are in talks for the player, but the problem is the Catalan side are not so keen on paying the €50m asked by the Eagles, especially because they already have Hector Bellerin as an alternative.
That gives strength to the Manchester rivals, since both are said to be interested for a while now. With Manchester United and Manchester City both linked to fullbacks, and both being on Benfica’s list of preferred buyers, it’s inevitable.
Despite the initial demands, Jornal de Notícias claim that Benfica should bend, and the player could end up being sold for around €35m or €40m, something similar to Ederson and Lindelof.
Despite their undeniable negotiation skills, it’s still very unlikely that Benfica will make €50m with a right-back, so Jornal de Notícias are probably right on the figures. But wouldn’t City or United have this deal lined up by now after all those talks for other transfers?
