With Sporting in the race, Benfica make call on Rafa | OneFootball

Benfica wants the return of Rafa Silva, who is unhappy at Besiktas. The Turkish club is asking for 15 million euros to sell the Portuguese forward, but Rui Costa refuses to pay the demanded amount, being willing to take the player only on a free transfer.

According to information reported by the newspaper A Bola, Rafa is seeking to terminate his contract with the Istanbul club and then decide what he will do with his career. The options on the table are to return to Portugal or continue abroad.

With Sporting in the race, the same source indicates that Benfica will only proceed if Rafa manages to terminate his contract and, consequently, returns to Luz on a free transfer. Rui Costa does not want to pay the amount requested by Besiktas, and the management does not want to negotiate directly with the player to avoid souring the good relations with the Turkish club.

Rafa is indeed unhappy with the situation at Besiktas, but contrary to what was revealed by the Turkish president, he does not intend to end his career. The forward complains about a discrepancy between the project that was presented to him and the current state of the club.

Rafa Silva – valued at 7 million euros – represented Benfica for eight seasons (2016/17 to 2023/24), costing the Eagles 16 million euros. In total, the former Portuguese international achieved impressive numbers with the Sacred Mantle: 326 games, 94 goals, 67 assists, and eight titles, including three National Championships.

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