Benfica miss out on Jonathan Jesus, Chelsea centre-back now eyed | OneFootball

The signing of a new centre-back remains one of Benfica’s priorities in this summer transfer window, but the Jonathan Jesus deal has faced new obstacles in recent hours. Cruzeiro remain inflexible and are unwilling to negotiate the Brazil under-23 international for less than €20 million, a situation that has led Benfica’s SAD to step up the search for other alternatives.

Meanwhile, opportunities continue to emerge on the list of potential reinforcements. Among the names considered was Axel Disasi, the 28-year-old France international. The centre-back is on Chelsea’s books and spent last season on loan at West Ham, while remaining under contract with the London club until 2029.

Although Jonathan Jesus’s agent travelled to Lisbon to meet Rui Costa and Mário Branco in an attempt to unblock the deal, talks remain far from an agreement. The main stumbling block remains Cruzeiro’s desire to hold on to one of the key pillars of Artur Jorge’s side. The information was reported by Record.

The Portuguese coach is going through a delicate stage of the season after losing Luis Sinisterra and Gabriel Pec to injury, which is why he does not intend to give up another starter. Jonathan Jesus, 22, is an undisputed figure in the Brazilian side’s defence, which remains in contention in the Brasileirão, the Copa do Brasil and the Copa Libertadores.

Given this scenario, Benfica do not intend to drag out a process they consider too complex. After António Silva’s departure to Bournemouth, the structure led by Rui Costa wants to quickly secure a reinforcement for central defence, where Marco Silva currently has Tomás Araújo and Clément Lenglet as his main options.

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