Bournemouth sign Portugal defender António Silva from Benfica for €25m plus add-ons

Transfer details

Bournemouth completed the signing of Portuguese international António Silva from Benfica on Saturday. The Premier League club will pay a fixed €25 million, with a further €5 million in performance-related add-ons taking the total package to €30 million. Benfica's statement to the Portuguese securities regulator (CMVM) confirmed intermediary costs of up to 9.5% of the transfer value. Silva signed a contract until 2031. The deal was finalised after Benfica's Europa League qualifying victory over St Gallen on Thursday.

Player background

Silva, 22, is a product of Benfica's academy, having joined the Lisbon club at age 12 from his hometown club Penalva do Castelo. He made his first-team debut under Roger Schmidt in 2022 and quickly established himself, helping Benfica win the Primeira Liga title in 2022-23 and earning the league's defender of the year award. He went on to make 183 senior appearances for the club, scoring 10 goals (Reuters reported 235 appearances in all competitions). A full Portugal international with 20 caps, Silva was part of the squads for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, though he was not selected by Roberto Martinez for this summer's tournament. He also won the Nations League with Portugal last year.

Why Bournemouth moved

The Cherries identified a replacement for Marcos Senesi as a priority after the Argentine left for Tottenham on a free transfer earlier this summer. Bournemouth's president of football operations Tiago Pinto, who previously worked with Silva at Benfica, said the club had admired the defender "for a long time". Manager Marco Rose, now in charge at the Vitality Stadium, gets a centre-back with Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup experience. Bournemouth are preparing for their first European campaign after qualifying for the Europa League last season.

What Silva said

I am very happy to be here. It's a pleasure to play for Bournemouth and in the Premier League. I can't wait to start the season with my teammates and I'm excited to be here. The mentality is always to win. I will try my best, and I will play for the fans. We have everything here that helps us perform on the pitch, and I can't wait to get started.

Tiago Pinto praised Silva's maturity and leadership qualities, noting his experience at "one of Europe's biggest clubs".

Squad context and next steps

Silva is Bournemouth's second summer signing after striker Alvaro Rodriguez arrived from Elche. The club is aiming for stability after selling over £200 million worth of players last year and is determined to keep key assets Alex Scott, Rayan and Junior Kroupi, though Kroupi faces three to four months out with a pre-season injury. Bournemouth kick off their Premier League campaign at Manchester City on 23 August. The club announced Silva's arrival with a video featuring the Football Manager 26 game, placing the defender in a digital Terreiro do Paço in Lisbon.