Benfica striker out of favour targeted by league's sixth-placed side | OneFootball

Benfica’s preseason start brought several unresolved issues, and one of the standout cases is Gustavo Varela’s. The forward was not part of the group that began work in Seixal and his future remains undecided. It is now known that his former team wanted to sign him.

According to exclusive information from Record, the 21-year-old player was on loan at Gil Vicente last season and the Minho side tried to secure his return, but the son of Fernando Varela, former Casa Pia centre-back, does not want to return to Barcelos.

Gustavo Varela wants to take the next step and is being closely monitored by Venezia, a Serie B club in Italy, as well as Paris FC, Parma, and Auxerre, top-flight clubs. PAOK, from Greece, were another club keeping an eye on the striker.

Despite the enquiries, no official offer has yet arrived at the Luz offices. If the forward’s future is not resolved next week, the player will report to Nélson Veríssimo when the team begins work on July 6.

In the 2205/26 season, wearing the Gil Vicente shirt, Gustavo Varela - valued at €3 million - made 33 appearances: 32 in the Liga Portugal Betclic and one in the Portuguese Cup. In 1,617 minutes on the pitch, the centre-forward scored seven goals and provided three assists.

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