Benfica want to copy João Mário model to land João Palhinha | OneFootball

João Palhinha remains Benfica's main target to strengthen the midfield in this summer transfer window. The SAD led by Rui Costa continues to keep the Portuguese international at the top of its list of priorities and is willing to keep pushing for the signing, possibly using the same formula it used with João Mário, according to Bernardo Ribeiro.

"Sporting had João Mário in the year they became champions because they agreed with the player that he would wait until the end and say no to Turkey. And João Mário did that and turned up here, was hugely important for Ruben Amorim, and became champion. The following year, Sporting tried to do the same thing, but João Mário didn't want to wait and chose Benfica instead, quite legitimately", said Record director Bernardo Ribeiro.

The Alvalade club tried to repeat with João Mário the strategy from the year it won the title, which consisted of waiting until the end of the transfer window and asking the player to turn down other offers in order to force Inter Milan to let him go. However, the following season (2021/2022), the Portuguese international midfielder was not willing to wait until the final moments of the transfer window and immediately accepted Benfica's offer.

João Palhinha has already been linked with a return to Alvalade, but the defensive midfielder is now closer to joining the Eagles. Bayern Munich are still asking for a fee of around €20 million to let the 31-year-old leave, a figure Benfica consider high. In addition, Palhinha's high wages and interest from other clubs make the negotiations even more complex.

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