Marco Silva to assess Gustavo Varela as Benfica plan pre-season return | OneFootball

According to Glorioso 1904, Gustavo Varela will report for Benfica’s pre-season on 25 June after a loan at Gil Vicente, with his future still unresolved and a possible exit under consideration.

The club are not ruling out a transfer if a suitable offer arrives. For now, the plan is to involve the forward at the start of camp so the new coaching staff can assess him closely.

Marco Silva is expected to evaluate the 21-year-old before making a definitive call. With Vabgelis Pavlidis, Franjo Ivanovic and Henrique Araújo also in contention, Varela must prove he merits a first-team place in 2026/27.

If Benfica opt to move him on again, the French league has emerged as the preferred destination, though there have also been approaches from Türkiye.

Varela made his first-team debut in 2024 under Roger Schmidt against Rio Ave. On loan at Gil Vicente this season, he made 33 appearances, 32 in Liga Portugal Betclic and one in the Taça de Portugal, across 1,617 minutes, scoring seven goals with three assists. He is valued at three million euros.

Source: Glorioso 1904