The five Primeira Liga stars who could transfer this summer

Updated: 4 May 2024 14:09 CDT
5 min read

Viktor Gyokeres, Antonio Silva — © IMAGO

Portugal regularly produces some of the biggest names in football.

From Cristiano Ronaldo to Bruno Fernandes, this small Iberian country has exported some absolute megastars over the years and the next batch of Europe's high-profile players is set to be on the move this summer.

Article continues under the video

It had been a two-horse race between Sporting CP and Benfica at the summit of the Primeira Liga for much of the season, with Ruben Amorim's side eventually coming out on top. The third Portuguese giant, Porto, were a fair bit off the pace.

Though Porto also boast some brilliant players, their lack of competitiveness compared to Benfica and Sporting means that this list is stacked with players from the two Lisbon heavyweights. So, here are five Primeira Liga stars who could transfer this summer...

Goncalo Inacio (22, Sporting CP)

The first of three Sporting players we will talk about today, Goncalo Inacio could finally be on the move this summer. Due to being young, left-footed and good on the ball, the centre-back has been one of Europe's most in-demand defenders for more than a year.

Liverpool and Man Utd have both been heavily linked with the 22-year-old over the past 18 months and FootballTransfers understands that these two have stepped up their pursuit in recent times. Inacio will be available for €60 million due to a release clause in his contract.

Ousmane Diomande (20, Sporting CP)

Though Sporting will try to keep their summer exits to a minimum, it could be a painful transfer window because many potential transfers will be out of their hands. Inacio's centre-back partner Ousmane Diomande is also in demand and also has a release clause.

The Ivorian wonderkid is available for €80m and there have even been reports that Sporting could settle for less. At 20 years of age, Diomande is one of Europe's biggest centre-back prospects and the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with him for over a year.

Viktor Gyokeres (25, Sporting CP)

The last Sporting player - though in truth we could have named more such as Morten Hjulmand or Marcus Edwards - is Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede enjoyed an absolutely outrageous first season in Portugal after joining from Championship side Coventry in the summer of 2023.

The striker recorded more than 50 goal contributions in 2023/24 and is on the radar of seemingly every big English club. The 25-year-old has a €100m release clause and has been heavily linked with Arsenal in recent months. FootballTransfers, however, understands that the Gunners have begun looking at cheaper options due to Kai Havertz's impressive goalscoring this term.

Antonio Silva (20, Benfica)

The first of two Benfica players on this list is Antonio Silva. Despite being just 20, the centre-back is already a senior Portugal international and has gone from strength to strength over the past two seasons.

Fitted with a €100m release clause, the right-footer has been associated with Man Utd for 12 months and he could finally be on the move this summer. The towering defender is one of the most promising talents in his position in Europe.

Orkun Kokcu (23, Benfica)

Tricked you, didn't we? You thought we would go for Joao Neves! However, the 19-year-old has a €120m release clause and his main suitors, Man Utd, are unlikely to make a move this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, hence we have gone for Orkun Kokcu.

The former Feyenoord captain became one of Benfica's most expensive signings in 2023, but the Turkey international's time in Lisbon has not all been rosy. In March 2024, the midfielder publically hit out at manager Roger Schmidt over 'misusing' him and was subsequently briefly dropped from the team. It is not inconceivable that he will be on the move again this summer.