Benfica have identified Fulham’s Marco Silva as their main target should Jose Mourinho leave for Real Madrid this summer.
As things stand the Eagles are confident Mourinho will stay after reliable reports from The Athletic that he’s the No.1 target for Madrid president Florentino Perez.
As such, Benfica president Rui Costa has a No.1 of his own – Silva, as per Record.
The 48-year-old Portuguese began his coaching career under current Benfica general manager Mario Branco at Estoril in 2011.
He then went on to coach Lisbon rivals Sporting CP, but that won’t be a problem should Benfica need to make a move.
Silva is also nearing the end of his contract at Fulham and enjoys a strong reputation in England.
Mourinho expected to stay at Benfica
Yet despite the seemingly good fit, Mourinho is still expected to stay.
Like Silva, ‘The Special One’ is also nearing the end of his deal, having only signed for two seasons when he arrived back in Portugal in September.
Mourinho made it clear his contract has a break clause after the first year when openly flirting with Madrid in January.
However, he’s since decided to stay in Lisbon, with the Portuguese press considering any Madrid flirtations as an attempt to get a new, more secure deal.
Yet that won’t be coming, with Benfica stung in recent years by giving coaches new long-term deals, only to be expensively sacked at the start of the following campaign.
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