Glorioso 1904 exclusive - Benfica review Issa Doumbia situation | OneFootball

Issa Doumbia was never a target seriously considered by Benfica, as Glorioso 1904 has learned. In this exclusive, our newspaper reports that the Venezia footballer was never actually part of the Reds' plans for the 2026/27 season, despite the rumors being circulated by the national and international press.

Glorioso 1904 has learned, from sources close to the process, that Issa Doumbia was indeed linked with Benfica’s interest, purely as a scouting matter. Thus, as our newspaper previously reported, the Luz club never went so far as to consider submitting a formal offer for the Italy under-21 international.

As Glorioso 1904 found out exclusively, the 22-year-old footballer, who is highly sought after by several teams, was never considered by any member of the Reds' hierarchy, namely Mário Branco, the club’s general director, or José Mourinho, the coach. However, other rumors still suggest that Doumbia could move to Portugal this summer.

In recent weeks, our newspaper reported that besides Benfica, the Venezia footballer had also been linked with Sporting. With the Eagles never having been on Doumbia’s radar, the most likely outcome is that the Italian will head to Alvalade, with Frederico Varandas’ board preparing an offer worth more than €20 million.

During the 2025/26 season, playing for Venezia, Issa Doumbia — valued at €8 million — made 38 official appearances: 37 in the Italian Serie A and one in the Coppa Italia. In the 3,159 minutes he spent on the pitch, the 22-year-old midfielder scored 10 goals and provided five assists.

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