Competition for Dyego Sousa with Benfica looking to sign striker
Benfica are in negotiations to sign Brazilian-born Portuguese international striker Dyego Sousa.
The news comes on the same day that reports emerged from Portugal that the two-time senior international is one of the shortlisted targets of Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The English Premier League outfit therefore face stern competition, and with little over 24 hours remaining of the transfer window, his future is one to watch out for.
Sousa is currently on the books of Shenzhen in the Chinese League One, having joined the club from Braga in July 2019 for just 7 million euros.
The 30-year old joined the club when they were in the Chinese Super League, but wasn’t that prolific in the Chinese top flight, bagging just 3 goals in the 10 league outings as the club suffered relegation.
He did, however, have an outstanding final season in Portuguese football, netting 23 goals in 41 outings across all competitions in the 2018-19 season, 15 of which came in the league.
He was particularly impressive in the first half of the season, where he scored 13 of his league goals in the first 19 league matches of the campaign, getting a further 5 assists. It does mean he ended the season in poor form, though, contributing just one goal in 12 outings - a chipped penalty against Portimonense on the final day of the season.
His impressive form in the first half of the season earned him many admirers, and in the buildup and throughout the January transfer window, he was linked with a move to Benfica for as much as 20 million euros, but a move never came to fruition.
Now, however, Benfica are reigniting their interest in the dominant forward, as they look to fill the void left by the departure of Raul de Tomas.
His form also earned him a call-up to the Portugal national team in March, where is made a 17 minute appearance in a 0-0 draw with Ukraine and a 58 minute showing versus Serbia, which also ended as a draw.
He failed to find the back of the net in either match and hasn’t played for Portugal since, but was part of Portugal’s squad for the UEFA Nations League finals in June.
