Ratcliffe and Man Utd take big step to signing Benfica star Antonio Silva

Erik ten Hag and Manchester United appear to have set their sights on a new centre-back this summer. It recently emerged that the Red Devils have joined Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund in making an approach to sign Dean Huijsen, who’s currently on loan from Juventus at Roma.

Huijsen’s performances this season have apparently “bewitched” multiple members of the European elite, and Juventus are willing to sell him permanently for a fee in the region of €30m (£26m).

Links with Benfica’s Antonio Silva, though, date back further. At the end of last year, it was reported that United had made Silva a “top target” for the 2024 summer transfer window, alongside Jean-Clair Todibo at Nice – the club owned by Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS.

Silva’s contract runs until 2027 includes a giant €100m (£86m) release clause, but he’s still expected to leave the Primeira Liga leaders at the end of the campaign.

Man Utd in touch over Silva

According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, via Sport Witness, United have made contact with Silva’s agent over a potential move in the off-season. It’s unclear whether Benfica will demand that his release clause is paid in full, or show a willingness to negotiate a lower fee. Encouragingly, it’s said their top priority is keeping 19-year-old midfielder Joao Neves instead.

The 13-time Premier League champions “know everything” about the defender after scouting him “many times” for both club and country, and they’re now preparing to escalate their interest.

“Silly” Silva may be the best young centre-back around

A product of the Benfica youth academy, Silva has already played 79 games for the club at the age of 20. He’s started 21 of their 27 league games this season, and six of their eight European matches in the Champions League and Europa League (though he missed one through suspension). He’ll also hope to figure prominently for Portugal at this summer’s European Championships after making his major tournament debut against South Korea at the last World Cup.

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Silva is one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the league, ranking ninth for touches (1,420), ninth for passes into the final third (104), third for progressive carrying distance (3,459 yards) and, best of all, first for pass completion (92.5%). He combines that with the second-best challenge success rate in the division (80.6%), so you can see why United are desperate to sign him.

Described as “silly good” by under-23 scout Antonio Mango, he was the only centre-back to be nominated for the Kopa Trophy – a prize handed out to the world’s best under-21 player at the Ballon D’Or ceremony. Ratcliffe will be determined to sign a player who increasingly looks like the next big thing in his position.