Glorioso 1904 exclusive - Benfica eye Marítimo talent, Sporting keen too | OneFootball

Nélio Batista has been identified by Benfica for next season. According to information gathered by Glorioso 1904, the 17-year-old Marítimo midfielder is on the list of young talents being monitored by Benfica’s officials. However, the deal is far from simple, as there is strong competition for his signing.

According to what our newspaper has learned, the club from Luz has been tracking the playmaker’s development for several months and believes the player has characteristics that fit the sporting project being developed at Seixal. However, Sporting, as well as Spanish sides Betis and Villarreal, are also closely following the midfielder’s situation.

The youngster, who has already had the opportunity to make his debut for the islanders’ first team, spent most of last season playing for the under-23 side. In 2025/26, Nélio Batista featured in 21 matches, scoring one goal, to which he added four appearances and another goal for the junior team.

A Portugal under-17 international, he already has 16 caps and three goals for the national team. The player is under contract until the summer of 2028, a situation that puts the Madeira club in a comfortable position to negotiate and makes any attempt to sign him for a reduced fee more difficult.

Given this scenario, Benfica continues to closely monitor the progress of the situation, but knows it will have to face strong competition if it decides to move forward with formal negotiations. On the other hand, Mezian Mesloub Soares turned down contact from the Eagles.

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