Cruzeiro striker tipped as Benfica target for 2026/27 | OneFootball

Benfica have once again placed Kaio Jorge on their list of potential attacking reinforcements, as an option alongside Pavlidis. The Brazilian forward, currently playing for Cruzeiro, had already come very close to moving to Luz in 2021, when Jorge Jesus was in charge of the Eagles, but ultimately chose to continue his career at Juventus.

Kaio Jorge depends on the departure of one of the current forwards in the squad.

Vangelis Pavlidis and Franjo Ivanovic are the players being mentioned as possible candidates to make room in the attacking department, although the situation of the Greek international appears more stable. Recently, Benfica’s general director of football, Mário Branco, publicly stated that Pavlidis wants to remain at Luz and that he is part of the club’s plans for the new season.

The same source says that Benfica’s interest is being strongly driven by Marco Silva, who likes the Brazilian forward’s characteristics. The Portuguese coach is looking for a mobile striker, capable of contributing to attacking build-up play, exploiting space in behind, and pressing the opposition’s build-up, traits he believes are present in Kaio Jorge’s game.

After fully recovering from the serious injury he suffered during his time at Juventus, Kaio Jorge has re-established himself in Brazilian football. The forward scored 26 goals in 2025 and has already added 12 more in 2026, numbers that earned him a return to the Brazil national team. Under contract with Cruzeiro until 2030, the Brazilian continues to attract interest on the international market and is once again one of the names Benfica are monitoring to strengthen their attack.

Watch Kaio Jorge’s goal for Cruzeiro:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.