Renato Sanches (26) collects the next loan move of his career. He will play for his training club Benfica Lisbon next season
In the afternoon, a Portuguese midfielder moved from Benfica Lisbon to Paris St. Germain, then in the early evening a Portuguese midfielder moved from Paris St. Germain to Benfica Lisbon – just two hours after the finalization of Joao Neves’ transfer worth up to 70 million, the two clubs made the next deal official. Renato Sanches will be loaned from PSG to Benfica for one season, with the Portuguese top club also having an option to buy.
The 26-year-old is thus returning to the club where he trained, where he first joined as an 11-year-old and where he subsequently matured into one of the hottest prospects in European soccer. After his move to FC Bayern in 2016, however, there were major ups and downs for the athletic striker, who only regained his former strength at Lille OSC and eventually moved to Paris for €15 million. As in Munich, however, success at a major club failed to materialize, with the result that Renato Sanches spent last season on loan at AS Roma. A purchase obligation had been agreed at the time – which ultimately did not take effect due to too few appearances
PSG contract runs until 2027
Renato Sanches played just 262 minutes in the Italian capital last season – partly due to numerous injuries – including a maximum penalty and an apology from José Mourinho. After Roma and Swansea City, for whom he made just three appearances in 2017/18, Benfica will be the third loan spell of his career. There was no more room for him in PSG’s midfield, at the latest with the signing of Joao Neves. Renato Sanches is still under contract in the capital until 2027
For Benfica, led by German coach Roger Schmidt, the return of the former silverware – together with the handsome transfer fee – is at least a consolation for the loss of the current silverware. In Lisbon, Renato Sanches and Leandro Barreiro, who joined from Mainz, are likely to try to fill the Joao Neves gap. The shirt number gives hope of a return to his former strength: Renato Sanches will wear 85 – as he did before his departure eight years ago
