Benfica's Antonio Silva in action vs PSG
Liverpool may be priced out of a move to sign teenage Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva, according to Jacque Talbot.
The Lowdown: Who is Antonio Silva?
The 19-year-old centre-back only made his Benfica debut at the beginning of the season after stepping up from Liga Portugal 2 with Benfica B.
His emergence has been incredible with him commanding a role at centre-back, playing 27 games so far this season in all competitions, including every minute in the opening five games of Benfica’s tough Champions League group against Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in which they went unbeaten, leading to interest from the Premier League.
The Latest: Talbot’s comments
Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Talbot revealed that the Reds hold interest in the teenager but understand he will carry a hefty price tag, potentially out of reach of a Liverpool side in need of numerous additions, saying:
(7:40) “19-year-old centre-back Benfica, (Jorge) Mendes chap, probably quite a bit of money Benfica might ask for him, because I don’t know if Goncalo Ramos will go, I said last summer Ramos looks set to go to Wolves, not sure what’s happening with that at the moment.
“So to get money from that, they got money from Enzo Fernandez coming over the summer, they’re probably about to ask for a high price for Silva, and the fact he’s 19 years old as well it’s not like they could probably convince him to stay or at least get a nice £70m for him, which is crazy how the market is now.”
“So yeah, Antonio Silva, will be quite interesting to see what happens there.”
The Verdict: Good addition?
Forgetting potential financial implications on the deal such as Benfica’s standpoint which is likely to be a firm one given he’s only broken into the team this season, and they commanded a British record fee for Fernandez last month, he would be a fantastic addition.
At only 19, he boasts experience beyond his years in European competitions against the continent’s elite, alongside two Portugal senior caps with him included in their World Cup squad.
Jurgen Klopp’s defensive issues have been vast this season with Ibrahima Konate playing just ten games all season due to injury and form, he’s 14th amongst the Reds squad for average match rating (WhoScored), whilst fellow centre-half options Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are 13th and 23rd respectively.
Unlike the Liverpool options, he’s a complete statistical monster, with him in the top 8% for tackles amongst centre-backs over the past year (via FBref), whilst showing his dominance in possession with him in the top 1% for pass completed and 9% for progressive passes, not turning 20 until October, he could become one of the continent’s elite defenders given his rise already.
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