Arsenal and Chelsea handed major £86m transfer update as club confirm stance

Arsenal and Chelsea have been given an encouraging update regarding the future of Antonio Silva from Benfica.

According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, the defender has rejected a lucrative offer to join Al Hilal on a reported five-year deal. It's said the Saudi Pro League club offered Silva a €7million (£6m) salary, along with a €45m (£38m) bid to Benfica.

The 21-year-old defender remains strongly linked with a Premier League move after another impressive season with Benfica.

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Silva, whose contract runs until 2027, made 46 appearances across all competitions.

Although Bruno Lage's side fell short of winning the Primeira Liga, Silva’s standout performances have reportedly attracted interest from several top clubs including Juventus.

The report further suggests that his departure from Lisbon this summer is 'practically certain.'

However, it's believed he turned down a move to the Middle East because he feels it's 'too early' to switch continents and would reputedly favour staying in Europe.

Arsenal’s interest dates back to last summer, but whether the youngster remains on their list of targets this time around is yet to be seen.

Chelsea, on the other hand, were 'plotting a move' for the defender in January. The Blues had previously scouted him for 'several weeks' in 2023.

At the time, in an interview with the official club website, Benfica president Rui Costa admitted that 'no Portuguese club can survive without sales' ahead of the summer transfer window.

"Fortunately, in the space where we are [Benfica Campus], we have created the best talent Portugal has seen in years," he said.

"Antonio [Silva] and Joao [Neves] are examples of this, and I'm sure there will be more to come. There's been a lot of talk about these two players, but there's nothing concrete because the market hasn't started to move yet.

"No Portuguese club can survive without sales. What I'm trying to do is make the most of it financially with as few sales as possible. We will do everything we can not to breach financial fair play, and I will never put the club in that position."

Whether Silva joins Arsenal or Chelsea remains to be seen, but Costa has already warned that sales will need to be made. However, clubs should be aware that his release clause stands at €100million (£86m).