Deal imminent! Benfica forward set for permanent exit | OneFootball

José Melro is very close to leaving Benfica to strengthen Marítimo. The young forward from the B team – who lost in their last match – is preparing to continue competing in the 2nd League, but now with a club fighting for promotion spots. The player will move to Funchal on a permanent deal.

Despite the transfer, the Luz club is expected to secure a percentage of the player’s rights, according to the newspaper 'Record', safeguarding a potential financial return in the future, considering the potential the athlete has shown throughout his development.

At 21 years old, José Melro will be another attacking option for the island team in their race for promotion to the Primeira Liga. This season, the player had few opportunities with Benfica B, a scenario that should change with his arrival at the current leader of the second division.

The footballer never made his debut for the first team, but at 17 he was already impressing among the seniors. His mobility and close relationship with scoring led to several call-ups to first-team training sessions, under then-coach Roger Schmidt. His numbers impressed not only the German coach but also Barcelona, who even scouted the youngster.

This season, wearing the Benfica shirt, José Melro – valued at 600 thousand euros – has played nine games for the B team. In total, the Benfica player has played just 451 minutes for Nélson Veríssimo’s side (seven in Liga 2 and two in the Premier League International Cup), scoring one goal.

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