Liverpool have entered the race to sign Benfica defender Antonio Silva, according to CaughtOffside.com.
The website claims that the Portuguese international is being considered as a potential “long-term replacement” for captain Virgil van Dijk.
However, there is plenty of competition for Silva’s services. Manchester United have been scouting the centre-back for quite some time, while Arsenal have also been credited with an interest.
The likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are known to be fans of the 20-year-old as well but Caught Offside report that the player is “prioritising a move” to England, which gives Liverpool an edge over those two teams.
Silva’s price tag is a big problem for Liverpool
At the moment, Benfica are holding firm on their valuation of the player. The centre-half has a €100m (£85m) release clause in his contract and the Portuguese side are not currently considering bids below that figure.
It remains to be seen whether their stance changes as the summer goes on but, as things stand, the Reds would have to match the club record fee they paid for Darwin Nunez if they want to snap up Silva.
Van Dijk’s contract situation
The club captain has a year left on his current deal at Anfield and, asked in a recent interview whether an extension had been offered to him, van Dijk replied:
“At the moment there is nothing for me to say. Nothing has changed and nothing is on the table either. No changes in my situation at all. My future is not important at the moment.”
It is a somewhat surprising statement considering how little time remaining there is on van Dijk’s contract. The situation could change soon, though, with new sporting director Richard Hughes and manager Arne Slot set to officially take on their new jobs imminently.
