Manchester City are one of the clubs monitoring Benfica defender Antonio Silva, according to reports.
The Lowdown: Silva profiled
The 18-year-old has worked his way up through the ranks of the Lisbon outfit, and for the first time, has been promoted to the senior squad this season.
The centre-backâs performances in the Primeira Liga, alongside for Portugalâs U21s, have caught the eye of several potential suitors, and the Sky Blues are now allegedly looking to bring him to the Premier League.
The Latest: Man City eyeing Silva
According to French outlet Le10 Sport (via Sport Witness), Man City are âkeeping tabsâ on Silva, though are set to be rivalled by Paris Saint-Germain, who are âbeware of the competitionâ.
Itâs stated that Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid âare thereâ, but the teenager has a âŹ100m (ÂŁ87m) release clause in his contract, which is set to expire in 2027.
The report claims that none of the clubs name-checked would be willing to pay that, though his ârating could climb up quicklyâ should he be chosen to play at the World Cup later this year.
The Verdict: One for the future
Silva hasnât yet completed his first full season at the highest level but heâs got bags of potential, so this is a deal that City should look at revisiting next summer when heâs proven himself.
A âcrazyâ good defender for his age, as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Silva currently averages 2.8 clearances, 2.3 tackles and wins 2.3 aerial duels per league game, alongside recording an impressive 92.7% pass success rate (WhoScored).
The youngster is represented by Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes, who also acts for Etihad trio Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo, so this could give City the advantage in the race for his signature.
