Fulham’s hopes fading – Benfica answer Marco Silva concerns as deal nears completion

Fulham’s attempts to keep Marco Silva appear to be fading. Portuguese reports claim Benfica have moved significantly closer to satisfying the manager’s key demands.

After reports from earlier suggested the Portuguese manager was growing reluctant to remain in limbo while waiting for developments around Benfica, newspaper A Bola now claims the Lisbon club have made decisive progress in meeting his demands.

“The parties took decisive steps this Monday and the agreement is very close to being finalized”, they wrote.

In practical terms, we might be seeing Benfica’s response to Marco Silva’s ultimatum.

Benfica move on key demands

According to A Bola, significant steps were taken on Monday and an agreement is now very close. While not yet complete, the newspaper describes the deal as imminent. Moreover, it says everything points towards Silva becoming Benfica’s next manager.

The report suggests Benfica have focused their efforts on the issues that mattered most to Silva. Money was never the only sticking point.

A Bola say the Fulham manager wanted guarantees over the sporting project and demanded a meaningful role in shaping the squad.

Benfica president Rui Costa and sporting director Mário Branco are said to have moved significantly closer to those requests over the past few days. That appears to be where the biggest breakthrough has come.

The newspaper claims Silva has now received assurances over his influence in recruitment decisions and the wider football structure. In addition, Benfica are prepared to give him a much more active role in defining the club’s sporting direction.

Financial gap remains, but Benfica close in

A Bola report Benfica have moved close to €5m (£4.2m) net per season and added a signing bonus worth a similar amount. The package remains below what Fulham are offering. However, it represents a significant effort from the Portuguese club.

According to the newspaper, Silva is preparing to turn down Fulham’s proposal worth around €7.5m (£6.3m) net per year. Despite this, the Premier League club also promised a significantly larger transfer budget to improve the squad’s competitiveness.

For weeks, the discussion centred on whether Benfica could satisfy Silva’s demands. A Bola now report those demands are “practically satisfied”.

Agreement now appears close

A Bola describe the deal as ‘very close’ and say Benfica’s latest concessions have brought the two sides to the verge of an agreement.

If recent reports about Silva’s impatience were intended to force clarity from Benfica, the club’s latest moves could be viewed as exactly that response.

From Fulham’s perspective, the concern is obvious. The club’s financial offer remains considerably stronger, but Benfica appear to have spent the last few days addressing the issues Silva cared about most.

And according to A Bola, they may now be close to getting their reward.