Premier League trio Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are all keen on signing highly-rated Benfica centre-back Ruben Dias.
The 22-year-old has played the full 90 minutes in each of Benfica's opening 20 Primeira Liga matches this season, helping his side keep a hugely impressive 13 clean sheets in the process.
The in-demand defender agreed a contract extension until 2024 back in November of last year, with the new deal including a a release clause of €100m. However, this has not deterred his admirers, with the Express reporting that Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool are all still 'interested' in Dias.
City have been keen on Dias for a while, with a source telling 90min back in the summer that they were considering making a January bid to sign the player. As for runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool, with Dejan Lovren likely to leave the club in the summer if another side is able to meet their valuation of around £10m, Dias could be seen as a suitable replacement.
A source told 90min in November that Spurs boss José Mourinho asked the Benfica man's agent Jorge Mendes to keep him informed about the player's future.
The Express now explain that Mourinho could spend as much as £120m on defenders next summer as he looks to replace his ageing backline. Dias is one of the 'top class centre-backs' Mourinho wants, while Bournemouth's Nathan Aké is another target.
The north London side have also shown an interest in Norwich’s 20-year-old full-back Max Aarons and the Express reveals that Spurs 'will make a £15m move' next summer. Elsewhere, Nice’s Youcef Atal is a target, while Leicester's Ben Chilwell is another player who is being monitored.
It remains to be seen where Dias ends up, but it is clear that there is serious interest in the hugely talented defender.
Source :
90min
