Rui Costa plots clear-out! Six Benfica gems set to leave | OneFootball

Benfica are preparing a major overhaul of the B team, as part of a squad renewal process at Seixal that marks the end of a cycle for six players who have been key figures in recent seasons. The strategy is to reshape the group and make room for new generations, with plans already in place

Among the most notable names is Diogo Prioste, who, as our newspaper has learned, is bringing a three-season spell to a close and is expected to leave the club permanently. The midfielder also had a brief spell with the first team, making 22 minutes in the league this season, but he never managed to secure a place in the main squad.

Rodrigo Rêgo and João Rego are also on their way out, although the structure of their respective transfers has not yet been defined. Rodrigo Rêgo was used by José Mourinho in five matches at the start of the season, but lost prominence after the winter transfer window, with increased competition and the emergence of new options in the squad.

In João Rego’s case, the winger has already made 28 appearances for the first team over the last three seasons, and even renewed his contract until 2030 with a high release clause after coming close to leaving for PAOK in the last winter transfer window. Even so, strong competition on the flanks ended up preventing him from establishing himself regularly in the first-team squad.

According to the newspaper 'Record', the list of departures does not end there, with other players such as Benny Souza, Tomás Cruz and Kevin Pinto also not part of the club’s future plans. On the other hand, the restructuring opens the door for youngsters such as Rafael Quintas, Steven Manuel, Tomás Soares and Miguel Figueiredo to establish themselves, while talents like Daniel Banjaqui, Anísio Cabral and José Neto, Under-17 World Cup winners, are expected to split their minutes between the B team and the first team.

Prioste’s emotional speech:

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