Glorioso 1904 exclusive - Benfica eye Marítimo star, Sporting keen too | OneFootball

Nélio Batista has been identified by Benfica for next season. According to information gathered by Glorioso 1904, the 17-year-old Marítimo midfielder is on the list of young talents being monitored by the club’s officials. However, the deal is far from simple, as there is strong competition for his signing.

According to what our newspaper has learned, the Lisbon club has been tracking the playmaker’s development for several months and believes the player has characteristics that fit the sporting project being developed at Seixal. However, Sporting, as well as Spanish sides Betis and Villarreal, are also closely following the midfielder’s situation.

The youngster, who has already had the opportunity to make his debut for the islanders’ first team, spent most of last season playing for the under-23 side. In 2025/26, Nélio Batista took part in 21 matches, scoring one goal, to which he added another four appearances and one more goal for the junior team.

A Portugal under-17 international, he already has 16 caps and three goals for the Seleção das Quinas. The player is under contract until the summer of 2028, a situation that puts the Madeira club in a comfortable position to negotiate and makes any attempt to sign him for a low fee more difficult.

Given this scenario, Benfica continues to closely monitor how the situation develops, but knows it will have to face serious competition if it decides to move forward with formal negotiations. On the other hand, Mezian Mesloub Soares turned down contact from the Eagles.

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