Portuguese side Benfica have apparently pulled out of the race against West Ham for the Brazilian winger Bernard.
The Eagles made an official statement on Friday claiming that claims have been untrue, as they’re not in contact for the former Shakhtar Donetsk player.
But the Portuguese media are still not buying it, and today, as they cover this statement, local newspapers insist that the conversations were on.
According to Correio da Manhã, the deal collapsed when Bernard’s agent demanded €10m in signing bonuses. Benfica thought it was too much and gave up on the deal.
It sounds like good news for West Ham, who according to reports from the Portuguese yesterday, have outbid Benfica in the race for the winger.
As the very same outlets had reported Benfica’s efforts to get the Brazilian, maybe the Eagles thought it was best to pull out when they saw they couldn’t compete with the Premier League side.
