It's well known that Manchester City are desperate to add a new central defender to their squad this summer and that their number one target is RB Leipzig's Croatian international Josko Gvardiol. While talks are continuing, the Bundesliga side seem unlikely to budge from their very high asking price.
And it seems that Pep Guardiola has lined up an alternative in case the Gvardiol deal doesn't happen. Transfer expert Ekrem Konul has informed Football Whispers that City now have their sights on Benfica's Portuguese 19-year-old wonderkid Antonio Silva, also a target for rivals Manchester United. It seems that for now City have only enquired about the young defender's availability, with no official offer to report yet. Benfica's price tag for Antonio Silva is expected to be at least €90 million.
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Antonio Silva: Impressive debut season in Benfica first team stirs EPL transfer interest
Silva is one of the most promising central defenders in Europe right now, having won the UEFA Youth League with Benfica in 2022 and since establishing himself in the first team. He was named Primeira Liga defender of the month three times during The Eagles' title-winning 2022-23 campaign, playing 44 games in all competitions and scoring five times.
Um mês 🤪👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/XgSRIbyaTd
— António Silva (@antonio_66s) June 27, 2023
That excellent form also saw him secure his first four caps with the Portuguese national team, with many more to follow in the years to come no doubt. His maturity, vision and leadership skills impressed many pundits, who see him as a future Benfica captain. He also recently took the #4 jersey, but of course he won't wear it in a competitive game if he ends up jumping ship of course. And who wouldn't be tempted by the opportunity of joining English and European champions Manchester City?
Who is Antonio Silva?
Profile
- Full name: António João Pereira de Albuquerque Tavares da Silva
- Date of Birth: 30/10/2003
- Place of Birth: Viseu, Portugal
- Position: Defender
- Preferred Foot: Right
- Shirt number: 4
2022-23 stats (all competitions)
- Appearances: 44
- Minutes played: 4,161
- Goals: 5
- Yellow cards: 3
- Red cards: 0
