Rui Costa rules out move for Tiago Gabriel as Benfica baulk at price | OneFootball

Benfica have ended their pursuit of Lecce defender Tiago Gabriel, with Rui Costa deciding not to proceed due to the asking price.

According to Glorioso 1904, Lecce set their valuation at more than 20 million euros, a figure Benfica are unwilling to meet.

The club want to confirm a new centre-back in the coming days after António Silva’s exit made the position a priority.

Gabriel had been shortlisted for his quality, his age and his familiarity with Portuguese football, having impressed for Estrela da Amadora from 2023 to 2025 and developed at Sporting.

Benfica do not intend to spend more than 15 million euros on the role, so the Portuguese-French defender will not become Marco Silva’s fifth signing for 2026/27. Gabriel made 39 appearances for Lecce last season, 37 in Serie A and two in the Coppa Italia, totalling 3,400 minutes and scoring two goals.

Source: Glorioso 1904

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”