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Arsenal and Chelsea to run the rule over £86m-rated defensive target later today

Originally posted on Caught Offside
By Saikat Chatterjee | Last updated 2/29/24

Arsenal and Chelsea are keen on the Benfica defender Antonio Silva.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, the 20-year-old is a concrete target for the two Premier League clubs, and they will run the rule over him when Benfica take on sporting CP in the Portuguese league later today.

It will be interesting to see if Arsenal and Chelsea follow up on their interest with an official proposal to sign the defender at the end of the season. He has a £86 million release clause in his contract and it is fair to assume that Benfica will demand it to be paid in full.

Although Silva is a world-class talent with a big future ahead of him, Arsenal and Chelsea will be hoping to sign him for a more reasonable price. Regardless of his ability, he is still unproven at the highest level. Paying £86 million for him might come across as a major gamble.

Arsenal could use an upgrade on Gabriel Magalhaes and Silva would be a superb investment. He has all the tools to develop into a world-class defender with the right guidance. He could be the ideal long-term partner for William Saliba.

Meanwhile, Chelsea need to plan Thiago Silva’s succession. The Brazilian is in his twilight years and he will need to be replaced soon. Silva could be the ideal alternative.

The 20-year-old could be excited about the possibility of testing himself in the Premier League next season and it remains to be seen which of the two clubs manage to secure an agreement with Benfica.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

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