Official! Player who only wanted Benfica is snatched by Marinakis | OneFootball

Gustavo Puerta is heading to Olympiacos. The official confirmation of the deal brought a definitive end to one of the most talked-about transfer sagas involving Benfica. The Colombian midfielder had been on the Eagles’ radar to strengthen the middle of the park, but ultimately saw his future decided by a lightning-fast operation.

The Colombian international was signed by Nottingham Forest from Racing Santander, who paid his €16 million release clause. The player was immediately sent on loan to the Greek side until the end of the season, in a move led by businessman Evangelos Marinakis.

According to the Greek official himself, the player only had eyes for a move to the Estádio da Luz to succeed Richard Ríos. However, the operation set up by the owner of both clubs diverted the South American international to Greece until the end of the current season.

With this outcome, Puerta is no longer part of Benfica’s list of transfer targets for domestic and European competitions. The transfer put an end to any chance of the player fulfilling his wish of representing the Lisbon club.

Following the loss of the footballer to the Greek project and Richard Ríos’ departure to Saudi side Al-Ittihad, the Eagles’ board reacted quickly. The club’s football structure turned to the international market and moved decisively to secure the signing of Argentine Claudio Echeverri.

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