Gil Vicente forward caught the eye, and Marco Silva wants him at Benfica | OneFootball

Gustavo Varela will begin pre-season with Benfica and has been instructed to report on June 25. After spending last season on loan at Gil Vicente, the forward returns to Luz with his future still undecided, although the possibility of a departure is still being considered by the club’s hierarchy.

The Eagles’ officials have not ruled out the player’s transfer if an offer considered advantageous for all parties comes in. However, for now, the intention is to include the player in the early work for the new season and allow him to be closely assessed by the new coaching staff.

Marco Silva is expected to assess the 21-year-old forward’s performances before making a final decision. With names such as Vangelis Pavlidis, Franjo Ivanovic and Henrique Araújo emerging as options for the attack, Gustavo Varela will have to convince the coach that he deserves a place in the main squad for 2026/27.

If Benfica opts for another departure, the French league appears to be the player’s preferred destination, although there have also already been approaches from Turkey. It should be remembered that the striker made his first-team debut in 2024 under Roger Schmidt, in a match against Rio Ave.

This season, in 2205/26, wearing the Gil Vicente shirt, Gustavo Varela - valued at €3 million - made 33 appearances: 32 in Liga Portugal Betclic and one in the Portuguese Cup. In 1,617 minutes on the pitch, the centre-forward scored seven goals and provided three assists.

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