Rui Costa eyes winger who plays alongside Enzo Pérez to bolster Benfica | OneFootball

Ian Subiabre is the latest target identified by Benfica's management, led by Rui Costa. According to information reported by the portal El Crack Deportivo, the young 18-year-old winger, who is a teammate of Enzo Pérez, has caught the interest of the Eagles, causing a sense of apprehension among the River Plate officials.

Marcelo Gallardo, coach of the Millonarios, counts on Ian Subiabre for the 2026 season and does not intend to give up the talent. The coach was pleased with the player's performance at the end of the year. Benfica's interest thus clashes with the sporting plans of the historic Argentine club.

Interestingly, Ian Subiabre's path crosses with that of Gianluca Prestianni, a current Benfica player. Both shared the locker room in the Argentine national team during the last U-20 World Cup, where they were runners-up. While River Plate dreams of Prestianni's return, the Eagles look in the opposite direction, focused on the winger who scored two goals and provided an assist in 18 games for the first team in 2025.

Securing Ian Subiabre is the priority for the Buenos Aires club in the face of Benfica's pursuit. The player has a contract valid until December 31, 2028, and is protected by a release clause set at 100 million euros. This astronomical amount serves as a barrier to his departure, but Rui Costa's negotiating skills will be tested if the interest becomes formal.

This season, playing for River Plate, Ian Subiabre – valued at 1.2 million euros – has played 18 matches. In the 549 minutes accumulated in the first team, the young winger, who shares the locker room with former Benfica player Enzo Pérez, scored two goals and made an assist.

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