Marseille could sign Benfica centre-back, and it's not António Silva | OneFootball

Benfica faces a new challenge in trying to hold on to one of its biggest academy prospects. Mauro Furtado, Portugal’s Under-17 World Cup winner, is attracting strong interest from abroad, with Marseille emerging as one of the clubs most closely monitoring the young defender’s progress.

According to several French media outlets, the Ligue 1 side has the 17-year-old very highly rated. Sporting director Grégory Lorenzi wants to invest in a blend of experienced players and young talents with high potential, a profile Mauro Furtado fits perfectly. In addition, the fact that the defender is entering the final year of his contract makes the deal even more appealing — especially as he does not want to renew.

The Seixal academy product is seen as a modern defender, physically strong, capable in building from the back, and with above-average technical quality. His performances at the Under-17 World Cup reinforced that image, a competition in which he helped Portugal win the world title and even scored one goal in two matches played.

However, Marseille are not alone in the race. Leeds United and Sassuolo are also closely following the player’s situation, a scenario that could increase competition and make Benfica’s task of securing the continuation of one of their main prospects even harder.

It should be remembered that Mauro Furtado was part of the group of Under-17 world champions who were received at Seixal by Rui Costa and José Mourinho. While some teammates, such as Anísio Cabral, José Neto and Banjaqui, have already renewed their contracts and joined the first-team squad, the young defender is still waiting to decide his future.

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