Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United will have to fork out £40-45 million to sign their defensive target Antonio Silva from Benfica.
Newcastle United are keen on reinforcing their defence and they have identified Benfica’s Antonio Silva as one of their top targets. According to a report from Football Insider, the Magpies will have to fork out £40-45 million to bring the Portuguese international to the Premier League.
Silva has come up the ranks at Benfica, he got promoted to their first team in the summer of 2022 and hasn’t looked back since. Not only has he established himself as a key figure at the club level, but the 21-year-old defender has also managed to break into the national team.
His contract at Benfica runs until the summer of 2027 and he is protected by a massive release clause. Despite that, it seems the Portuguese international could be on the move in the near future.
The emergence of Thomas Araujo has had a significant impact on Silva’s game time. He has been involved in just 11 fixtures so far and there are major question marks over his future at the club.
Newcastle can sign Silva for a bargain fee
Newcastle are the ones who are keen on prising him away from Portugal. The Magpies wanted to sign a new centre-back on a priority basis during the summer. They went after Marc Guehi’s signature but all their efforts went in vain as Crytal Palace stood firm on their demands.
While they might not have succeeded in signing a central defender during the last window, Eddie Howe is still keen on reinforcing the back line and they have their eyes set on other targets.
Silva is one of the names on their radar and the Portugal international reportedly ticks all the boxes that Newcastle are looking for in a central defender.
The Tyneside club can sign the 21-year-old with an offer of around £40-45 million. While they were ready to fork out £70 million on Guehi during the summer, it will be interesting to see if they can still afford to spend big money during the winter window as they have significant financial concerns.
They might even be forced to sell players in January to avoid any potential point deductions. As a result, a deal for Silva at the start of 2025 looks very unlikely.