Otamendi sets alarm bells ringing at Benfica after national team call | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi’s contract renewal process may have suffered a major setback in recent hours. According to what has been learned, the captain’s decision to leave the national team after the World Cup is making his continuation at Benfica look increasingly unlikely.

According to the newspaper A Bola, the fact that Otamendi is retiring from international duty creates a scenario in which the Argentine is considering every opportunity available to him, without the concern of needing to be at his very best to represent his country, which could make the renewal process with Benfica even more difficult.

Moreover, as the same source explains, the possibility of an exit gained even more strength after Otamendi’s statements regarding River Plate’s interest. The Argentine club wants to sign the 38-year-old defender, and he did not rule out that possibility, keeping the door open to such a move.

Thus, as the sports daily had already pointed out, leaving the national team gives Otamendi other priorities, and a renewal with Benfica may come to nothing, since the Eagles’ captain may show more interest in offers that are more lucrative than sporting, as he has done up to now.

This season, playing for Benfica, Nicolás Otamendi — valued at €1 million — has already made a total of 43 official appearances: 24 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 14 in the Champions League, two in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In the 3,809 minutes he has spent on the pitch, the Argentine has scored three goals.

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