Bournemouth agree surprise transfer for former Man Utd target Antonio Silva at fraction of £87m release clause

ANTONIO SILVA has agreed a cut price deal with Bournemouth just hours after captaining boyhood club Benfica in a Europa League qualifier. The 22-year-old Portuguese international is en-route for a medical on the South Coast this weekend after negotiating a deal worth £25.7 million. Benfica previously snubbed a number of Big Six clubs interested in Silva The centre-back has won the Nations League with Portugal and featured over 180 times for boyhood club Benfica An initial agreement of £21.4 million plus £4.3 million in add-ons is a mere fraction of what Benfica once demanded from Prem giants for the centre-back’s signature. Chelsea had a bid of £52 million plus Albanian striker Armando Broja snubbed back in 2024, with Benfica insisting the Blues meet a mammoth £87 million release clause. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! The former Kopa Trophy nominee was also reportedly Man Utd’s top summer transfer target two years ago, and Liverpool also made fruitless contact with Benfica over the defensive prospect. While the Cherries may seem a shock choice, Silva reportedly had a pre-existing bond with Bournemouth’s president of football operations Tiago Pinto, who was Benfica’s former director of football. READ MORE IN TRANSFER NEWS Bournemouth had been desperate to secure a centre-back after losing a number of bedrocks at the back. Marco Senesi moved from the South Coast to Spurs this summer, and replacing the Argentine World Cup star has been a key transfer priority. Last summer also saw the Cherries shed budding superstars Dean Huijsen and Ilya Zabarnyi in big-money moves to Real Madrid and PSG respectively. Bournemouth were only able to lure Silva to Dorset after he led Benfica to a 5-0 victory over St Gallen in the second round of Europa League qualifying last night. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Bournemouth’s new coach Marco Rose has been searching for a centre-back The 20-time Portuguese international had racked up over 180 appearances for the iconic Lisbon club despite his tender years. A breath-taking breakout season in 2022/23 saw Silva scoop up Benfica’s player of the year award, alongside being named in the Primeira Liga team of the year. New Bournemouth manager Marco Rose will be hoping to reignite Silva’s evident potential after the defender was disappointingly omitted from Portugal‘s World Cup squad this summer. Comment now