Ruben Dias' contract negotiations with Benfica stall amid interest from England

Benfica have been working hard to increase the release clause of Ruben Dias for some time, but negotiations have currently broken down.

Ruben Dias had widely been expected to sign a new long-term deal with Benfica, which would have seen his release clause increased further, though talks have currently stalled, and a resolution that once looked imminent now looks unlikely.

Currently, Dias’ release clause is 66 million euros and, having seen the price of centrebacks increase significantly over the last few years, Benfica are concerned that Dias is currently attainable by many of Europe’s elite clubs.

His release clause of 66 million euros is lower than that paid for Ajax centreback de Ligt earlier this month, and Benfica want to keep hold of one of their main assets.

As such, they were keen to increase the termination fee to 88 million euros, €22M higher than his current release clause.

However, Ruben Dias is wary of the fact that clubs may well be reluctant to pay 88 million euros for his services, and as club president Luis Filipe Vieira proved with João Felix, he is highly reluctant to sell any of his star players for any less than their release clauses as he looks to form a team capable of competing on all fronts.

Dias is very intrigued by the prospect of testing himself in the English Premier League, that division considered his preferred destination, and a move this summer becomes increasingly possible.

That said, there's little to suggest Ruben Dias necessarily plans to leave Benfica imminently, and his reluctance to sign a new contract does not guarantee that his time at the club is definitely coming to an end. Instead, he simply does not want to be stuck tied to a higher release clause, which would make a move to one of Europe's elite leagues far more unlikely.

Benfica are still prepared to hold out for nothing less than his current release clause though, with reported widespread interest in the 22-year old Portuguese international, including from the Manchester clubs, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal.

Dias has previously expressed publicly how he is only focused on Benfica amid reported interest from elsewhere, though his proposed contract extension is currently off the table.

Dias had a tremendous campaign last season, which ended with him putting in a player-of-the-tournament display at the UEFA Nations League, a tournament that Portugal ultimately won.

His current contract runs until 2023.