AC Milan could reignite their pursuit of Antonio Silva after the defender communicated his decision to Benfica regarding a renewal.
Things seemed to be moving quickly towards Milan signing Silva late in June, until Benfica put up a wall amid hopes of convincing him to sign a new contract extension. In turn, the Rossoneri secured the arrival of Mario Gila from Lazio to strengthen the back line.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
Nevertheless, there remains speculation that the management are looking to add another central defender. Gila is seen as ideal to play on the right of the three-man rearguard, taking Fikayo Tomori’s place, so someone to play down the middle or on the left could be sought.
Silva back on?
According to the latest from Record in Portugal, Antonio Silva has made clear to Benfica that he will not consider renewing his contract. This puts them in a difficult position given his deal has one year to run, with interest from clubs in Italy and the Premier League cited in the report.
Fabrizio Romano confirms the news: “Silva has decided to reject Benfica new deal proposal and will now assess offers to leave the club this summer. Decision made with his agent Jorge Mendes, as Record reported. Proposals to be considered from now on.”
Nicolo Schira adds: “Antonio Silva has turned down Benfica’s bid (contract until 2031 with an increase in salary) to extend and so he is ready to leave.”
MilanNews reports that this big decision could spark interest from several teams, including Milan, who had already been indicated in recent days as a vigilant club. Silva’s contract expires in 2027 and the necessary conditions could be met to acquire him for a cut-price fee, assisted by Jorge Mendes.
Inacio, Ederson, LWB & AMRC;
ALL BACKUP: DMC, AMRC, SC;
Talented player, use the tomori money to sign him. 22 years old with 20 caps for Portugal + plenty of ucl experience already. He will only get better.