Rui Costa rolls up his sleeves, close to keeping key man at Benfica | OneFootball

Rafael Quintas’ future should ultimately lie with Benfica. Based on the information gathered, the 17-year-old footballer’s situation has taken a 180-degree turn, and the Eagles, led by Rui Costa, are now closer to getting the academy midfielder to agree to a contract renewal once he comes of age.

According to Record, Benfica are very close to reaching an agreement with Quintas, one of the standout figures in Portugal’s under-17 national team, which recently won the European Championship and the World Cup in the same age group. On the table, according to the same source, is an incentive the player is not unwilling to accept.

Record has learned that the sporting project was the main obstacle to the renewal, as Rafael Quintas aims to reach the B team, a demand Benfica are said to have accepted in recent days. So far, the 17-year-old midfielder has played mainly for the under-19 and under-23 sides.

As such, Benfica are expected to free up more spots in the B team in order to accommodate Rafael Quintas’ promotion to Nélson Veríssimo’s squad. On the other hand, Record states that, like Anísio Cabral, Daniel Banjaqui and José Neto, names who shone alongside the midfielder in the national team, the 17-year-old is also preparing to extend his deal until 2031.

This season, representing Benfica, Rafael Quintas has already made 35 official appearances across the under-23 and under-19 levels: 15 in the National Juniors Championship, 14 in Liga Revelação and six in the UEFA Youth League.

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