Marco Silva has made Benfica's January stance plain. "Main players are to be kept... especially because they want to stay," he said, and the club's SAD does not intend to negotiate the departure of its main references in January. Gianluca Prestianni sits at the centre of that thinking, with Benfica finalizing a proposal to raise his salary and extend a contract that currently runs until 2029.
Prestianni's rise at Benfica
Prestianni has backed up the contract talk with form that is hard to ignore. He is described as Benfica's most decisive player and one of the most dazzling figures in the league, and his return this season supports that view. He has seven goals in 11 Primeira Liga appearances and four assists in the same run, while his 7.9 rating in the league is the kind of output a club does not usually want to lose in January.
The award window added another layer. Prestianni was elected the league's best forward for September and October after collecting 26.85% of the coaches' vote. He finished ahead of André Clóvis on 24.87% and Vangelis Pavlidis on 20.37%, with four goals and three assists across six matches doing the heavy lifting. That is the clearest sign yet that his breakout is not a short burst.
Benfica's wider retention plan
Benfica's stance is not built around Prestianni alone. The club is also weighing work around Andreas Schjelderup, while the broader push is to keep the squad together rather than open the door to January exits. Benfica have won all five of their most recent matches, sit second in the Primeira Liga with 28 points from 11 matches and are top of their Europa League group with 12 points from four games.
Those numbers point to a team that has little reason to disturb itself. Prestianni is the clearest reason his name is being treated differently, and Benfica's next move will be a proposal built to keep him tied to the club beyond 2029.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
