Marco Silva has picked who he wants to replace António Silva at Benfica | OneFootball

António Silva’s future is looking increasingly far from Benfica. The centre-back will not renew his contract and is ready to strengthen Bournemouth, forcing Marco Silva to choose a new player for the heart of the defence.

Stepán Chaloupek is the chosen one. Benfica are indeed set to move for the Slavia Prague centre-back. According to iSport, the Eagles want to sign the 23-year-old right-footed defender. With English sides Hull City and Ipswich Town and German club Hamburg interested, the SAD led by Rui Costa is said to be preparing a €12 million bid - which is expected to be rejected.

A key figure in winning the Czech league title, with eight goals and two assists in 28 league matches, Chaloupek earned a place in the Czech Republic squad for the World Cup. He played one match, against South Korea, which the Czechs lost 2-1.

The relationship between Glorioso and Slavia Prague is not new. It was from this club that the Eagles signed Alexander Bah in 2022 and David Jurásek the following year. The left-back returned to the Czech club last January, after loan spells at Hoffenheim and Besiktas.

In the 2025/26 season, playing for Slavia Prague, Stepán Chaloupek - valued at €10 million - featured in 38 matches: 27 in the Czech League, eight in the Champions League, two in the Czech Cup and one in the Czech second division. In the 2,610 minutes he was on the pitch, the player scored 10 goals and provided two assists.

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