Dayot Upamecano is no longer uncontroversial at FC Bayern. The 25-year-old has recently attracted attention with unnecessary sending-offs and blunders in particular, incurring the displeasure of the fans. The record champions now have a talented Portuguese defender on their radar who could become a focal point for Bayern should Upamecano leave.
The sporting management around Max Eberl and Christoph Freund apparently have their eye on António Silva, as reported by Sky. The 20-year-old centre-back currently plays for Benfica Lisbon and, despite his young age, is an undisputed regular at the Portuguese top club. The record champions are impressed by the 20-year-old’s development.
Silva has a fixed transfer fee of 100 million euros in his contract, which runs until June 2027. However, it is considered likely that Benfica will be willing to discuss a sum of between 70 and 80 million euros.
As a result, FC Bayern are not actually willing to spend such a large sum on a new centre-back. A possible transfer of Silva depends above all on what happens to Matthijs de Ligt and Dayot Upamecano in the summer.
Other top European clubs such as Manchester United have already taken notice of Silva. The centre-back has featured in almost all of Lisbon’s matches this season. He also made his debut for the Portuguese national team some time ago. According to Transfermarkt.de, Silva’s current market value is 45 million euros.
Bayern defence shaky of late
The record champions‘ defence has been shaky of late. Dayot Upamecano in particular has made some inexplicable mistakes. The 25-year-old was sent off twice in a row against Lazio Roma and in the following match against VfL Bochum.
In addition to factual criticism, the centre-back was also subjected to racist abuse and insults on the internet that were well below the belt.
The Bayern star spoke out clearly about the hostility at the time: „Criticism is part of football, but racism has no place anywhere. Not in the stadium or on social media. Racism has no place anywhere. 2024 and we still have to repeat it.“
