Sports 31 July 2026

Antonio Silva is off to Bournemouth and Benfica bank around 25 million euros

The Portuguese centre-back flew to England to sign a five-year deal at Bournemouth. The move is worth about 25 million euros plus five in add-ons, and leaves Marco Silva short at the back.

The whole thing was waiting on one result, and that result landed on Thursday night. The moment Benfica saw off St. Gallen and secured their Europa League run, Antonio Silva’s exit came unstuck: the 22-year-old centre-back flew to England on Friday to complete a move to Bournemouth.

How much are Benfica getting for Antonio Silva?

The figures doing the rounds point to roughly 25 million euros fixed, with another five tied to performance targets. The contract at the English club runs five years, to 2031, and the formalities that close it are still outstanding: a medical and an official announcement. Until both clubs put it in writing, this is a deal all but done rather than a deal done.

For a player who broke into the first team at 18, won full caps, and spent the last two seasons oscillating between undroppable and easy target for the critics, it is a clean exit — a solid fee for the club, the Premier League for the player.

So who plays centre-back for Benfica now?

That is the question Marco Silva has not been dodging. The manager has said publicly that the club is doing everything it can to bring in a centre-back as quickly as possible, and the calendar is unkind: the league starts in days, and the next Europa League round, with Hearts up next after the 5-0 against St. Gallen, follows immediately.

Selling well and buying late is a Portuguese transfer-window classic, and this summer is not breaking the habit. The new Primeira Liga season opens in the first week of August, which gives Benfica barely a week to plug the hole they have just opened. Official confirmations land, as always, on the club’s website.

By Vasco Almada

Image: Mr Ignavy / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Sports 31 July 2026

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Sports 30 July 2026

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Sports 29 July 2026

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Sports 28 July 2026

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Sports 26 July 2026

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Sports 25 July 2026

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Sports 25 July 2026

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Sports 25 July 2026

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Sports 24 July 2026

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