This month, we’ve covered a few stories from the Portuguese media linking Liverpool to Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis.
It was claimed the Reds are attentive to the good season he’s been having with the Eagles, and already made contact ahead of a potential move next year.
Those most recent reports were a reason for Sport TV pundit Pedro Henriques to talk about that rumour. The former player started by praising the Benfica midfielder, but then pointed out that the 23-year-old may not be ready for a move to Liverpool yet.
“Florentino Luis has always been a player of great quality. He was a player with little intensity in his game. Being a good player is not enough,” said Pedro Henriques (via Bancada).
“In youth football and in the initial levels of the national teams, with the quality he had, he easily stands out, but then you get to a level where you either have something more or you get eaten. And he was being ‘eaten’ very easily.”
Florentino Luis was always hyped when being promoted from Benfica’s youth ranks, but it took a while for him to actually impress for the Eagles. That’s why he had loan spells at AS Monaco and Getafe in the past few seasons.
With him now finding better form in recent months, the Lisbon side can think of negotiating his permanent exit. He’s protected by a €120m release clause, although Liverpool could certainly get him for a lot less than that.
