Man United ready to pay €75m for SL Benfica’s Antonio Silva as Real Madrid drop out of race | OneFootball

Manchester United have received a big boost in their pursuit of SL Benfica defender Antonio Silva as Real Madrid have reportedly dropped out of the race.

With new manager Ruben Amorim shifting to a back three, United have become even more desperate for top quality defensive reinforcements.

With Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans likely to leave the club this summer, the Red Devils will either need to trust the academy or dip into the transfer market to boost high quality numbers in the defence.

One player the club has been linked with for a long time is Benfica’s Portuguese defender Antonio Silva.

The Red Devils were said to be interested in the player in the summer, alongside Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, but no move took place.

Spanish outlet Defensa Central have claimed that United’s eagerness to get a deal done for the centre back has knocked Real Madrid out of the race.

“In the last few hours, there have been several reports in England that speak of his possible signing for Manchester United.”

“The English club would be willing to make an investment of up to €75 million in the transfer. Real Madrid never considered reaching that amount for him.”

Madrid have also accepted that they will not sign the young defender as he has taken “the decision to take another direction in his sporting career”.

As a result, the European champions have turned their attention elsewhere.

Silva has been described as a modern defender who is a “passing monster” who is also “no-nonsense” in his defensive approach.

The young star has struggled for gametime lately though, as he has only played once in his club’s last seven league games and needs to fight his way back into the first team picture at As Águias.

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social