Heads up! Benfica's next signing left out of Ajax's squad in 2-0 win | OneFootball

Josip Sutalo is once again being linked with Benfica at a time when Rui Costa is looking for reinforcement for the heart of the defence. The possible move of the Croatian centre-back to Luz is gaining momentum following a recent development involving Ajax.

The 26-year-old defender was left out of Amsterdam club’s 2-0 win over Zwolle in the opening round of the Eredivisie. The absence only further fuelled the rumours surrounding the Croatian international’s future.

The visitors only found the net with a numerical advantage, following the sending-off of Sherel Floranus (57'). Jorthy Mokio (76') opened the scoring with an excellent finish from a central area, after back-to-goal work by Tolu Arokodare, and Julian Brandt (90'+5) combined with Mika Godts for the second.

Although Jonathan Jesus’ name has been pointed to as one of Benfica’s priorities, the club’s officials are keeping several options open, and Sutalo is now once again emerging as one of the alternatives on the table.

Josip Sutalo came through at Dinamo Zagreb and moved to Ajax in the summer of 2023, in a deal that earned the Croatian club €20.5 million. Under contract until 2028, the centre-back made 31 official appearances in the 2025/26 season and featured at the 2026 World Cup for Croatia, a national team that was ultimately eliminated by Portugal in the round of 32 of the competition.

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