Benfica have renewed the contract of Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson. The 23-year-old’s deal with the Portuguese side now runs until 2023.
The renewal is big news in Portugal, especially because of the release clause. Looking to protect the player from other club’s approaches, they’ve now raised it to €60m.
As reported by Record today, Benfica’s concern is that Manchester City and Barcelona are both keeping an eye on the player.
As the club have no intention to sell the goalkeeper in January, this release clause would give them more power to handle the negotiations in case these clubs go after him at the end of the season.
The links between Manchester City and Ederson have been out since Pep Guardiola was appointed as club manager. The Portuguese media repeatedly state the coach was impressed during a Benfica vs Bayern game last season, and has been following him ever since.
Considering that the goalkeeper isn’t exactly Manchester City’s strongest position right now, the move would make some sense. Benfica would push for as high a fee as possible, as they don’t own all of the player’s right… a situation they’re trying to resolve.
Benfica will always sell a player for the ‘right’ price, and are currently try to push Edderon’s ‘right’ price as high as possible. Should Manchester City be seriously interested, that probably wouldn’t be enough to put them off.
