Champions League disaster makes Benfica sales inevitable, player prices likely to be reduced

The unthinkable has happened. A goal from former Benfica outcast Andrija Zivkovic ensured that Benfica were knocked out of the Champions League at the very first hurdle - an unexpected and wholly damaging premature exit that has left Benfica in something of a crisis - and the financial implications are significant.

Benfica knew that they would have to beat both PAOK and Krasnodar away from home to reach the Champions League group stage and with it collect a massive 40 million euro windfall. It was not an easy task, with the two games packaged into an already busy schedule - but expectations were high after Benfica invested 78 million euros into improving their squad this summer.

Dropping into the Europa League group stage instead - for the first time in 11 years - ensures that they are only going to get a fraction of the prize money they could have earned, and they are ultimately going to need to sell some lucrative assets to make up for it.

Carlos Vinicius has long been seen as a likely departure from Benfica, and the fact that he started on the bench in the crucial Champions League qualifier behind Haris Seferovic - only brought on for the final 18 minutes - shows that Benfica are preparing for life without their star striker.

However, Benfica have been holding out for 60 million euros for the 25-year old - a fee that was always seen as insurmountable for most clubs - and Benfica’s need to sell after their latest Champions League failure only further reduces the asking price.

Tottenham Hotspur are one side very keen on the striker and table an offer of 30 million euros for the Brazilian. That will likely still be a sum that is too small for Benfica to consider, but an offer in the range of 45 million euros may now be sufficient to prise Vinicius away from the Lisbon club.

Ruben Dias, meanwhile, has long been seen as indispensible by the club, the Portugal international a hugely important figure in the heart of defence, and Benfica have been adamant that they would sell him for no less than his 100 million euro release clause.

However, no Champions League football means that Benfica may well review their stance on one of their most highly-regarded assets, and a fee in the region of 60 million euros may be seen as too good to turn down for Benfica, who may feel that the signing of Ruben Semedo, added to the trio of Jan Vertonghen, Ferro and Jardel, will provide sufficient depth to cover his absence.

Undoubtedly Vinicius and Dias are Benfica’s two most prized possessions, and therefore they are perhaps the most likely to depart should Benfica’s need to recoup some of the funds that have been expended.

Other assets such as Alex Grimaldo, Florentino Luis and Rafa Silva may also be seen as saleable, with almost all of Benfica’s players expected to be in the shop window for the right price. Only once Benfica have sufficiently balanced the books will the sales stop. And a season of great optimism has already begun to unravel.

Benfica can still salvage their campaign, of course. A push to win all three domestic trophies added to a run in the Europa League would put this early Champions League exit behind them - but right now, this is a painful day for Benfica fans, and some necessary departures are to be expected.

Benfica will be in pot 1 for the Europa League group stage draw, while their league season kicks off on Friday, when they travel to last season’s fairytale club Famalicao.