Vinícius Júnior offers centre-back to Benfica | OneFootball

Gabriel Índio is one of Benfica’s bets for the future of their defense and is arriving at Luz from Athletic Club, a Brazilian club that counts Vinícius Júnior among its shareholders. The Eagles invested €4.5 million in signing the 17-year-old centre-back, although the contract can only be officially completed when the player turns 18, on July 26.

Vinícius Júnior’s link to Athletic creates a new point of contact between the Brazil international and Benfica, following several media-covered episodes in recent years. In a Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid, the forward claimed he had been the target of racism, accusing Giovanni Prestianni of directing racist insults at him.

Vinícius Júnior was once again at the center of attention at Benfica when Sidny Cabral asked him for his shirt at the end of the match in Spain. The young Cape Verdean later lost his place in the squad and ended up leaving the club.

Meanwhile, Benfica’s general director of football, Mário Branco, explained the signing of Gabriel Índio, placing the young centre-back’s arrival within the club’s sporting strategy. The executive recalled that preparations for the new season started earlier than usual due to the Europa League qualifiers, justifying the decision to move ahead earlier in the market.

“Obviously, as a result of various constraints, some dependent on us and others not, we will have to start much earlier because we have the Europa League qualifiers. In this sense, Gabriel’s (Índio) arrival was something logical given Benfica’s DNA in the search for young talents with great potential. Gabriel fits exactly into that spirit,” the director said.

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