Rhuan Gabriel sparks transfer battle between Benfica and FC Porto | OneFootball

Benfica and FC Porto have shown interest in signing Rhuan Gabriel, a 19-year-old attacking midfielder who recently participated in the underwhelming campaign of the Brazilian national team at the Under-20 World Cup in Chile, which ended in the group stage.

The news was reported this Sunday by the Brazilian portal Central da Toca and comes just over a month after Rhuan renewed his contract with Cruzeiro, extending the duration from 2028 to 2029 and increasing the release clause from 60 million euros to 100 million euros.

Born in Goiânia, the young player joined Cruzeiro's youth ranks in 2020 and progressed to the under-20 team, where he has been coached by Portuguese manager Leonardo Jardim, who has yet to give him an opportunity in the senior squad.

In 2025, Rhuan Gabriel participated in 18 official matches for the juniors, scoring five goals and providing one assist. In 2024, he was an important part of the team that became runners-up in the São Paulo Junior Football Cup.

Little luck in the Under-20 World Cup

While everything indicates that Rhuan could soon make his mark at Cruzeiro, his stint with the Brazilian under-20 national team was far from positive, as demonstrated in the World Cup of the category.

The team was eliminated after just three games, with two losses (to Morocco, 1-0, and Morocco again, 1-2) and a 2-2 draw with Mexico, finishing last in Group C.

Morocco, who will play the final against Argentina at the National Stadium in Santiago next Monday at 00:00 (Portugal Mainland time), led the group with six points, followed by Mexico with five and Spain with four – leaving the Brazilians behind.

Rhuan Gabriel started the matches on the bench. He was not used against Mexico; he came on against Morocco and Spain. In the match against the African team, he replaced Rayan Lucas, a midfielder on loan from Flamengo to Sporting's B team.

Cruzeiro awaits a significant financial gain

One aspect that could benefit Benfica and FC Porto in the race for Rhuan is the fact that Cruzeiro is not known for major sales. The club's biggest transaction dates back to 2001/02, when they sold Geovanni to Barcelona for 20 million euros.

Cruzeiro might feel the need to secure a substantial financial gain, at a time when they are vying for spots in the Copa Libertadores: they are in third place in the Brazilian Championship, five points behind leaders Palmeiras (coached by Abel Ferreira) and two behind second-placed Flamengo, although they have played two more games than both.

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