Benfica hit by hefty price tag for Jorge Cuenca | OneFootball

Benfica continue to prepare for the new season under the guidance of Marco Silva, and one of the priorities identified by the club’s hierarchy is strengthening the heart of the defence. After Nicolás Otamendi’s departure to River Plate at the end of his contract, the Eagles want to sign two centre-backs during this summer transfer window. Among the names on the club’s shortlist was Jorge Cuenca.

The Spanish defender, who worked with Marco Silva at Fulham over the last two seasons, fit the profile Benfica were looking for to add experience and quality to their defence. Left-footed and known for his ability to play out from the back, Cuenca was a player appreciated by Benfica’s new coach. However, despite the connection between the two, the deal is unlikely to move forward.

According to information reported by newspaper A Bola, Fulham are only willing to negotiate the centre-back’s sale for a fee close to €20 million, an amount considered too high by Benfica’s board to invest in a player who was not an undisputed starter for the London side.

Over the last two seasons, Jorge Cuenca made just 34 appearances for Fulham, split between 12 matches in his first season and 22 in his second, numbers that also contributed to the Benfica hierarchy’s thinking. Given this scenario, Benfica did not even begin formal negotiations with the English club and are already turning their attention to other alternatives on the market, while keeping their goal intact of strengthening central defence before the official start of the 2026/27 season.

The need to reinforce the area becomes even more important at a time when Gonçalo Oliveira is very close to leaving Benfica to join Stade Rennais, further reducing the options available for the position. The idea of the board led by Rui Costa is to offer the new coach two distinct profiles. On the one hand, an experienced centre-back capable of immediately taking charge of the defence. On the other, a younger player with room for development who can become part of the rotation.

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