Benfica hold talks with Manchester City over player contract termination – Club not happy | OneFootball

Manchester City are reportedly in dialogue with Portuguese giants Benfica over the early termination of Issa Kabore’s season-long loan deal.

The season-long loan deal to one of the biggest clubs in Portugal followed up another developmental campaign away from Manchester City across 2023/24, starring for Luton Town in their return to the Premier League under Rob Edwards.

Having largely held down the mainstay right-back slot in the top-flight for the Hatters, Kabore returned to City with his future up in the air, and despite not joining the squad in the USA for their pre-season tour, the player was retained for several more weeks into the season.

Ultimately, the decision was taken to issue Kabore a season-long loan at one of the most prestigious clubs in the European game, with Benfica holding no option to buy at the end of their season-long loan deal for the player.

However, with less than half of the season being played up until this point, it appears as though Manchester City may be welcoming the defender back to the City Football Academy much sooner than they would have expected.

That is according to the information of Record, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Benfica are not happy with Issa Kabore and want the on-loan full-back to leave the club in January as opposed to the end of the campaign, as was originally agreed last summer.

It is further explained that Benfica club president Rui Costa has already moved to make that happen and talks are underway with the Premier League champions over an agreement to end the season-long loan agreement.

From the side of the Lisbon-based club, the feeling is reportedly that Issa Kaboré did not live up to the initial performance expectations, despite his stock rising during a season-long loan with Luton Town in the Premier League last season.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for a number of other rising Manchester City talents, with several names having their status doubted within Pep Guardiola’s set-up as the January market looms.

James McAtee was retained by the Catalan coach during the last summer market after back-to-back spells with Sheffield United in the Championship and Premier League, but has seen his opportunities significantly limited so far this season.

With interest from the likes of West Ham United and Fulham, it remains to be seen whether Manchester City would be willing to hand out a temporary agreement to the player in order to improve his chances at game-time.