Negotiations at a standstill. Financial differences and disagreements over football management still to be resolved. Guarantees regarding squad building and the overall project have not yet convinced the manager. The Encarnados (The Reds) are evaluating alternatives.
Negotiations between Benfica and Marco Silva have reached a standstill in recent hours. The Encarnados (The Reds) and the manager remain in contact, but they run the risk of failing to reach an agreement. The parties are still split on significant aspects, ranging from the autonomy demanded by Marco Silva in football management to financial matters.
With the countdown underway — after all, José Mourinho could be announced as Real Madrid’s manager after the elections on June 7th, provided Florentino Pérez is re-elected president —, Benfica and Marco Silva continued to negotiate over the last few days. Without practical results, and therefore, without white smoke.
The manager, as is known, has a contract renewal offer from Fulham until 2030, with a net salary of €7.5 million per season. Benfica is willing to pay €5 million per season, with a signing bonus that could offset the financial losses.
Marco Silva demands autonomy in squad building, structural organization, and pre-season planning — Benfica, at this moment, is not prepared to meet all of these demands. The manager, on the other hand, is not yet convinced by the guarantees presented so far for the project to succeed, including, among other things, the investment capacity needed to build a strong squad this summer.
This entire process, which began at the start of the month, is causing some wear and tear on the manager, who was previously more inclined to accept the invitation and replace José Mourinho.
At the same time, beyond the generous contract, Marco Silva has a promise from Fulham of a €150 million investment in signings this off-season, aiming to raise the team’s competitive level and thus allow them to fight with better tools and greater ambition for new goals in England.
Benfica and Marco Silva are not, therefore, as close as might have been expected after their initial talks. And at this moment, it is uncertain how it will all end. The signing of Marco Silva is at risk.
Benfica has also sensed that Marco Silva may not be convinced and is already looking for alternatives—in other words, other managers. The first contacts have already been made, and they will progress definitively if an agreement is not reached with Marco Silva.
The coming days will be decisive. Neither Rui Costa nor Marco Silva wants to drag the process out much longer. In Benfica’s case, the urgency is even greater, as they need to resolve the manager situation quickly.
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