Aston Villa and Tottenham have picked a pretty good time to be paying close attention to Gianluca Prestianni.
The Benfica youngster was already flying at club level. Now he’s taken that form into the Argentina team, with a goal and an assist in just 45 minutes against Burkina Faso.
He didn’t get on the pitch for Lionel Messi’s farewell against Benin, but returns to Portugal with his reputation growing.
Benfica, meanwhile, appear to have decided they need to get a move on with his new contract.
Prestianni’s form keeps getting better
Prestianni started on the left in Argentina’s 7-0 victory over Burkina Faso and made an immediate impact. He scored after 12 minutes, combining with Lautaro Martínez before finishing inside the area.
Then came an assist for Julián Álvarez in the 36th minute. Prestianni found him with a low left-footed pass from the flank. He was substituted at half-time, but had already done more than enough.
Without a doubt, he was among Argentina’s best performers. Multiple reports from the Argentine press described him as “dynamic, dangerous and aggressive”.
Prestianni was also part of the squad for Messi’s farewell against Benin, although Lionel Scaloni didn’t bring him off the bench. Still, he returns to Benfica after a very successful international break.
So it continues a ridiculous start to the season. Across Benfica and Argentina, Prestianni now has nine goals and four assists from 14 appearances. For some perspective, his previous career-best season produced three goals and five assists.
“I’m really happy, maybe it hasn’t sunk in yet that I’ve scored my first goal [for Argentina],” Prestianni said.
“I’m very happy with the moment I’m experiencing. So I’m enjoying what I’m going through.”
That’s all very nice for Aston Villa and Tottenham scouts… And perhaps slightly less comfortable for Benfica.
Benfica renewal is now ‘urgent’
O Jogo says Benfica have placed an “urgent” label on the file concerning Prestianni’s renewal. Talks have already been going on for several weeks, but there isn’t an agreement in principle.
President Rui Costa now intends to push negotiations hard once the player returns to Lisbon. Benfica want to increase his salary and extend his contract by another two years, taking it from 2029 to 2031.
O Jogo again mentions Premier League clubs following Prestianni “in detail”. Aston Villa and Tottenham are the two English sides previously named as interested, while Atlético Madrid are also keeping tabs on him.
Record has since added four more Premier League clubs to the picture. Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Brighton are also said to be keeping a close eye on the Argentine.
Still, there’s some optimism at the club that an agreement can be reached quickly. The growing transfer attention clearly plays into their thinking.
His current contract contains a €100m (£87m) release clause, so Benfica already have plenty of protection.
Either way, this is more about rewarding Prestianni’s new status and making sure the contractual situation keeps pace with what’s happening on the pitch.
But right now, that’s happening very quickly. Aston Villa and Tottenham are watching that rise. Benfica clearly don’t fancy taking any chances with what comes next.
