“Impressed”: BBC pundit tips £52m Liverpool & Manchester United target to shine at World Cup

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Liverpool and Manchester United want to sign Antonio Silva from Benfica – a player who has now been tipped to shine at the World Cup.

It was the BBC‘s John Murray who told viewers to keep an eye out for the Portugal international, who A Bola believe is set to be the subject of a £52m bid from an unnamed Premier League side.

Liverpool & Manchester United target tipped to shine

Well, it was the reliable Fabrizio Romano who claimed that Jürgen Klopp and Erik ten Hag are keen to sign the 19-year-old defender, after his rapid rise at Benfica.

Silva has made a name for himself this season after breaking into the first-team at Benfica, recording 20 appearances so far across all competitions, scoring three goals.

One of those three goals came in the Champions League, as the teenager nodded in a vital goal against Juventus to help Benfica secure a 4-3 victory, and ultimately win Group H ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and the Italian giants.

Writing in a feature for BBC Sport, Murray put: “Antonio Silva’s star has risen very quickly this season with his breakthrough into the first team at Benfica, who are the unbeaten Portuguese league leaders and won their Champions League group ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.

“New Benfica coach Roger Schmidt turned to Silva when injuries hit and the teenager has impressed to the extent he has been given a new contract which features a €100m (£87m) buy-out clause. He has gone from first-team debut to World Cup squad in less than three months.”

Liverpool & Manchester United face huge Antonio Silva fee

In our view, Klopp and Ten Hag face paying a massive sum for Silva.

Benfica know how to get a good deal, having already sold stars such as Darwin Nunez for £85m and Ruben Dias for £65m.

As Murray states, Silva has a release clause worth £87m, which we fully expect Benfica to refer to should interested parties approach them, especially if the young defender shine on the world stage in Qatar.

Silva is also contracted to the Portuguese giants until July 2027, so Benfica have absolutely no need to sell their No.66 unless they receive a monumental offer.