Speaking to the Portuguese media last night, Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira made quite an interesting statement about their goalkeeper’s situation.
Ederson Moraes, who’s been in great form and is reportedly wanted by Manchester City, “is not for sale,” according to the club official.
“That’s why we renewed with him,” said Vieira (via A Bola). “We have 50 per cent of the rights, the other 50 belong to Rio Ave.”
But even though he’s adament the 23-year-old is staying, it doesn’t mean he’s not signing other players for the position. “It’s possible that Portuguese goalkeepers come,” revealed Vieira.
A Bola, of course, couldn’t miss the chance to speculate a few names. First they say that Atletico Madrid’s André Moreira is “practically done”, and they claim that Manchester United’s Joel Pereira is still a target.
The newspaper has been insisting on this Joel Pereira interest for a while now, since he was on loan at Portuguese side Belenenses.
At that stage, we were able to confirm the player had received no offers from the Eagles, and sources have told us Pereira is still not aware of it.
After renewing his contract until 2022, Ederson reportedly has now a €60m release clause. By claiming he’s not for sale, Vieira is basically stating the player will only leave for that amount. That’s something that makes sense, since Benfica will only get half of it.
But signing other goalkeepers also shows that Benfica are preparing themselves in case they lose the player, so they’re probably aware of some interest in him.
