Bournemouth have entered discussions with Benfica over a move for Portuguese defender Antonio Silva, who is being lined up to fill the void left by Marcos Senesi.
The south coast club made their approach for the 22-year-old after Senesi opted to depart on a free transfer and link up with Tottenham Hotspur.
Silva is viewed as a technically skilled successor to the Argentine centre-back, though Benfica have temporarily halted negotiations while they concentrate on navigating their Europa League qualification ties.
The Lisbon outfit are set to take on St Gallen in Switzerland on 23 July, with the return fixture to be played a week later in the Portuguese capital.
Since establishing himself in Benfica’s senior side in 2022, Silva has been a consistent presence, gaining experience across the Champions League, Europa League, and the Club World Cup.
The defender, who has earned 20 international caps, was part of Portugal’s selections for both the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, but was ultimately omitted by Roberto Martinez for this summer’s tournament.
Should the deal go through, Silva would become Bournemouth’s second acquisition of the window, following the arrival of striker Alvaro Rodriguez from Elche in a transfer that could reach a total of £25.7m.
Now under the guidance of new head coach Marco Rose, the club is targeting a period of consolidation after offloading over £200m in player sales last year.
The hierarchy is also resolute in its stance to rebuff any bids for three of its prized assets—Alex Scott, Rayan, and Junior Kroupi.
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