Benfica close in on signing Artur Cabral from Fiorentina

Benfica and Fiorentina have made a breakthrough in talks over Arthur Cabral’s future.

A domino effect launched by Goncalo Ramos’ imminent departure for Paris Saint-Germain is on the verge of ending the Brazilian’s year-and-a-half spell at Artemio Franchi.

With Ramos on his way to joining forces with Neymar at the Parc des Princes, Benfica have identified Cabral as his heir and are close to capturing his signature, reports Alfredo Pedulla.

Fiorentina have given the green light to Benfica’s €20 million plus another €5m in add-ons bid for the 25-year-old centre-forward, who only joined the club from Basel in January 2022.

He left Switzerland to replace Dusan Vlahovic in Florence for a reported fee of €15.5m, meaning the Italians will record a profit from his transfer to Benfica.

During his relatively brief stint in Tuscany, Cabral has tallied 17 goals and two assists across 48 competitive appearances, playing a significant role in La Viola’s run to the Europa Conference League final last season.

But it’s worth mentioning he wasn’t always Vincenzo Italiano’s first-choice striker, having often had to share his playing time with Serbian star Luka Jovic.

Cabral’s departure hasn’t caught Fiorentina off guard as they brace themselves up for a double swoop to make up for selling their marksman weeks before the 2023/24 kick-off.

Spezia’s M’Bala Nzola has agreed to link up with Italiano’s squad upon the Ligurian side’s relegation to Serie B, with La Viola expected to allocate around €10m for the Angola international’s signature.

Nzola’s acquisition could follow up a near-certain arrival of River Plate’s Lucas Beltran, who is set to leave Argentina for Italy in a deal worth around €20m, bonuses included.

The 22-year-old is already an established striker in the Liga Professional and a regular first-team fixture at the Estadio Mas Monumental, with many people considering him the future attacking leader of the national team.

Cabral may not be the only high-profile signing for Benfica, as they’ve struck an agreement to land Inter Milan target Anatoliy Trubin from Shakhtar Donetsk.