Almost done! Loanee bids farewell, Benfica could pocket €3.5m | OneFootball

Gustavo Marques is very close to leaving Benfica on a permanent basis to continue his career at Red Bull Bragantino. The 24-year-old Brazilian center-back has been on loan at the Brazilian club since last summer, and his stay is expected to be made permanent in the coming weeks.

According to journalist André Hernan, the São Paulo club is preparing to complete the signing of the defender on a permanent deal for a fee of around €3.5 million. The deal will allow Benfica to secure an interesting financial return, considering the Eagles only acquired 50% of the player’s rights from América Mineiro for around €1 million.

The defender made just one appearance for the Eagles’ first team, having been used by Roger Schmidt in the 2023/24 season. Even so, his spell in Brazilian football ended up increasing his value, as he made 45 appearances for Red Bull Bragantino and scored four goals during the 2025/26 season.

It should be remembered that Gustavo Marques was also recently involved in a controversy in Brazil. The center-back was punished with a 12-match suspension and a fine of 30,000 reais by the Sports Court of the State of São Paulo, following comments considered sexist directed at referee Daiane Muniz.

At the time, after the defeat against São Paulo, Gustavo Marques said: "It was our dream to reach the semifinal or even the final, but she ruined our game. I think the Paulista Federation has to look at matches of this size and not appoint a woman". In addition to the punishment imposed by the court, Red Bull Bragantino itself decided to fine the player half of his salary and leave him out of a subsequent match, with the amount donated to NGO Rendar, an organization that supports vulnerable women in the region.

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