Palhinha ever closer to Benfica! Rui Costa's big trump card | OneFootball

The name of João Palhinha continues to gather momentum behind the scenes at Benfica. Although the deal is still far from being completed, there is a belief at the Luz that the passing of time could work in Benfica’s favor and bring closer an outcome that, a few weeks ago, seemed far more complicated.

According to Record, the main reason has to do with Bayern Munich’s position. After Tottenham decided not to exercise their option to buy the Portugal international, the Bavarians were left with less room to negotiate and are finding it harder to locate a club willing to pay the 25 million euros they are asking for. In that context, the possibility of another loan move is starting to gain traction, a scenario that appeals to the structure led by Rui Costa.

At 31, Palhinha sees this moment as one of the most important decisions of his career and does not intend to choose his next destination based only on financial factors. The midfielder prioritizes a project where he is seen as a key piece and where he feels total confidence from the coaching staff. In that regard, Benfica believe they have very strong arguments.

One of the factors carrying the most weight in this operation is the presence of Marco Silva. The coach worked with Palhinha for two seasons at Fulham and still has enormous admiration for the player. Internally, the manager sees him as much more than just a holding midfielder, viewing him as a natural leader, with a strong personality and physical traits ideally suited to the competitive identity he wants to implement in the team.

Even so, completing the deal will also depend on movements within Benfica’s squad. The most studied solution is a paid loan, with an obligation to buy at the end of the season. In that scenario, Benfica would pay around 10 million euros for the initial loan and a further 15 million later on. However, a possible arrival of Palhinha would force adjustments in midfield, especially since Rui Costa has already made it clear that any new arrivals will depend on departures from the squad.

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