Galatasaray make formal contact to sign Benfica's No. 20 | OneFootball

After completing the signing of Rafael Leão, Galatasaray have turned their attention back to the Portuguese market, with Richard Ríos among their targets to strengthen the midfield. The Turkish club have already made their first formal contacts with Benfica over the Colombian international.

The midfielder’s situation at the Luz could make the deal easier. Richard Ríos has lost ground since Marco Silva arrived as the Eagles’ head coach and was not even used in the visit to Aarhus. The Colombian is now facing strong competition in the department, especially after the arrival of João Palhinha.

With Palhinha shaping up to be the starter in the deepest midfield role, Fredrik Aursnes retaining his undisputed status once he recovers from his physical issues and Georgiy Sudakov being backed for a more creative position, Ríos currently appears as a secondary option for Marco Silva. Leandro Barreiro also seems to be ahead of the Colombian in the coach’s pecking order.

This season, Richard Ríos has featured in six of the eight matches played byBenfica, but he has only started once. That came against Hearts in Scotland, in a match where Marco Silva chose to rotate the squad, given the comfortable advantage the Eagles had built in the first leg.

Even so, the main obstacle to a possible agreement could be Benfica’s asking price. According to the sports press, the club’s board has set a €40 million price tag to let the 26-year-old midfielder leave, a figure that could complicate negotiations with Galatasaray.

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