Benfica target Tiago Gabriel for 2026/27 | OneFootball

Benfica are keeping an eye on the situation of Tiago Gabriel, a Portuguese centre-back who plays for Lecce, a club in Italy’s Serie A. The 21-year-old defender enjoyed a breakthrough season in Italy, helping the Salentini achieve their goal of staying up.

The defender left Estrela da Amadora in January 2025 and, once in Italy, quickly established himself, becoming a regular starter for the team. The news was reported by journalist Nicolò Schira, a transfer market specialist.

Signing a centre-back is one of Benfica’s priorities for the new season. Nicolás Otamendi has moved to River Plate, Gonçalo Oliveira is on the verge of joining Stade Rennais, while Tomás Araújo may only return to training later due to his participation in the Club World Cup, leaving António Silva as the only centre-back available at the start of pre-season.

In that context, Spaniard Jorge Cuenca, a Fulham defender, is also on Benfica’s shortlist and could even follow Marco Silva in a move to the Luz. Even so, the possible arrival of the Spaniard would not rule out the signing of another centre-back, as the club’s hierarchy want to strengthen that area.

Last season, José Mourinho worked for much of the campaign with only three centre-backs and even adapted Enzo Barrenechea to that position at times. Despite the reports of interest, there has so far been no concrete approach for the player.

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