Ex-Man City and Monaco left-footer eyes Benfica return, linked to second tier | OneFootball

Rony Lopes, former player of Benfica who currently plays for Tondela in the Primeira Liga, has seen his playing time limited since joining the Beira club in the summer of 2025 and may be leaving the Portuguese side at the end of the January transfer window.

According to information reported by Foot Mercato, three French Ligue 2 clubs, namely Nancy, Bastia, and Pau are closely monitoring the player’s situation, assessing the possibility of bringing him to France during this transfer window.

Having come through the youth ranks at Benfica and Manchester City, Rony Lopes has already had a rather extensive career, including spells at clubs such as Monaco, Lille, Sevilla, Olympiacos, and Braga, before moving to Tondela, who currently sit 17th in the Primeira Liga table.

Recently, the 30-year-old player expressed his desire to return to Luz: “I won’t lie, I would really like to return to Benfica. They helped me a lot in my development, I spent five years there, it’s a club I’m very fond of and I would, without a doubt, like to return one day,” he said last summer.

In the current 2025/26 season, playing for Tondela, Rony Lopes – valued at 1.2 million euros – has only played in eight matches for the Beira side, scoring one goal and providing two assists. The Portuguese international has accumulated 454 minutes on the pitch.

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