Rafa Silva’s departure from Benfica in January continues to sound very likely, but things remain far from decided.
The midfielder, who has been recently linked to a Wolves move, is still struggling to get game time for the Eagles, and that should define his temporary farewell very soon.
But despite weeks of speculation, the Portuguese media doesn’t seem to have a bright idea of who is signing the 24-year-old when the transfer window opens.
This weekend, Jornal de Notícias claims the player himself wants to leave, as confirmed by sources close to him. Silva wants to play at the World Cup, and thinks he can’t impress Portugal manager Fernando Santos if staying on the bench at the Estádio da Luz.
A loan deal is what would please ‘both parties’, as Benfica won’t facilitate the permanent exit of a player they’ve paid so much for, at least for their own standards.
And despite saying that the final word will be from president Luis Filipe Vieira, Jornal de Notícias doesn’t have any info on who could land Rafa Silva this time.
Wolves were the only club linked by the Portuguese newspapers, but it’s now been a while since their name was last mentioned by the local media.
The player’s agent Antonio Araujo recently refused to comment on the speculation, telling Sport Witness that they were ‘in a moment of great definition’.
Wolves have worked silently in the summer window, so maybe that’s what happening in this case. With the winter window approaching, we doubt that Rafa doesn’t have a couple of interested clubs on the table.
Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves was recently been called up to play a couple of friendlies for Portugal, so playing in the Championship shouldn’t be a problem for manager Fernando Santos.
