Rui Costa, be warned! Rival leads Benfica race for 22-year-old midfielder | OneFootball

Issa Doumbia is the latest name to be identified by Benfica's scouting department with next season already in mind. However, according to what has been learned, the Eagles, led by Rui Costa, have still not made a move for the 22-year-old midfielder and risk seeing Sporting win the race for the Venezia player.

According to information reported by the Italian press, the green-and-white SAD, led by Frederico Varandas, has already moved ahead of Benfica and, with Venezia, submitted an offer of around €10 million to complete the signing of Doumbia.

So far, this is the only offer said to have been presented to the club that currently plays in Italy's Serie B. However, the Italian press assures that the midfielder is not paying attention to the transfer rumors, being fully focused on helping Venezia secure a return to the top tier of Italian football.

As such, Sporting have gained a considerable advantage in the race for the 22-year-old footballer, leaving Benfica behind. The Eagles are said to have identified the player as a possible reinforcement for the new season; however, the lack of reaction from the Reds should mean that Doumbia is not a priority.

This season, playing for Venezia, Issa Doumbia – valued at €8 million – has made 34 appearances. In total, across the 2,843 minutes he has been on the pitch, the midfielder has scored eight goals and provided four assists.

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