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Manchester United, Liverpool suffer blow in their pursuit of 19-year-old prodigy

Originally posted on Caught Offside
By Saikat Chatterjee | Last updated 10/10/23

Benfica defender Antonio Silva has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months.

Clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly keen on signing the 19-year-old defender but they have now been dealt a blow in their pursuit of the Portuguese international.

A report from the Portuguese publication Record (h/t SportWitness) claims that the player is not too keen on joining the English clubs and the interest from Real Madrid is more appealing to the player. The Spanish outfit are looking to bring in a quality central defender as well and Silva is certainly a world-class prospect.

Manchester United and Liverpool need to bring in central defensive reinforcements and the 19-year-old would have been an exceptional acquisition. He would have been an upgrade on Harry Maguire at Old Trafford.

As for Liverpool, they need to bring in an alternative to Joel Matip.

Silva has the ability to play for the best clubs in the world and he has the attributes to develop into a world club central defender. Whoever signs the 19-year-old, will have a potential superstar on their hands in the near future.

Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in the world and it is no surprise that the player wants to play for them. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool or Manchester United can convince the defender to join them instead with a lucrative proposal at the end of the season.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

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