Leicester City are keeping tabs on Benfica winger Rafa Silva. Some sources are claiming that the Foxes are lining up a move for the 24-year-old who was once dubbed as the ‘Portuguese Eden Hazard’. It is understood that Silva is available on loan this month, with an option to make the deal permanent for €30m in the summer. The winger has found game time limited this season and has started in only one game for the Portuguese giants so far. He has failed to live up to the expectations since arriving from Braga for €16m in the summer of 2016.
It was during his time with Braga that the Portuguese attacker was attracting interest from some of Premier League’s elite clubs which included the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Liverpool. A report in the Portuguese media has suggested that Leicester City are set to go head to head with Everton in pursuit of Silva’s signature.
Benfica are adamant to send him out on loan before a permanent deal in the region of €30m is sanctioned in the summer. Their asking price seems to be on the pricey side with Silva joining them for almost half of that money in 2016 and has failed to cut the mustard in his time with Benfica.
Silva has made a total of 126 appearances for Braga and scored 25 goals and provided 17 assists before making his move to Benfica. The winger has struggled since then and has scored just 2 goals and made 7 assists in 42 appearances for the Portuguese champions. However, he is highly versatile and can feature in either flank or play up top as a makeshift striker.
Leicester City currently finds themselves in 8th place in the Premier League table, four points behind Sean Dyche’s Burnley. They are not expected to sanction any new moves for attacking players in this January transfer window with the Foxes boss Claude Puel confessing that he needs a better balance in his squad. The Leicester team has already scored 34 goals in 22 league matches which proves that they are doing quite well in the opposition half. However, with the impending departure of Riyad Mahrez looming on the horizon, the West Midlands outfit might need to bring in a replacement for the talented Algerian in their quest to secure a top 7 finish in the Premier League this season.
It remains to be seen whether the Foxes make a move for Rafa Silva in this window and whether they are able to fend off strong competition from Everton in pursuit of the winger.
