Arthur Dias, a young promise from Athletico Paranaense, who interests Benfica and Barcelona, is the protagonist of the 74th edition of the heading ‘The rumor of the week’ from Sport to Minute, in which the arguments behind the biggest business in the market are analyzed in detail.
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27/09/2026
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Arthur Dias is one of the names of the moment, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, since, after having won a place in the eleven holder of the Athletico Paranaense, at only 19 years old, he saw Carlo Ancelotti summon him, for the first time in his career, for the main selection of Brazil.
The good exhibitions initialled by the central defence have also not gone unnoticed in Europe in such a way that, in recent days, from Spain, reports came in showing the interest of Barcelona, Tottenham, Como... and Benfica in its acquisition, already with a view to the next winter transfer market.
The Sport newspaper even wrote that Deco, a former Portuguese international and current sports director of the Culés, is an admirer of the qualities of the young promise, and will even have asked João Amaral, compatriot and director of the exploration section of the club, to observe him live last weekend in the victory over Bahia, for 2-1.
Will Benfica be able to ‘finite’ the harassment of some of the richest clubs on the Old Continent and consummate the hiring of Arthur Dias? Or is the call, above all, from Barcelona, too strong to ignore, at such an early stage of the career? O Sports to Minute analyzes the pros and cons of this rumor.
Why can it happen?
Benfica is well known throughout the world for its ability to catch young talents, ‘lapid them’ and then launch them to the ‘nate’ of European football, with no examples, precisely in Brazil, with the projection of players like David Luiz, Ramires or Ederson Moraes, only in the last decade.
Arthur Dias knows that, in the Stadium of Light, he would have a greater space to put into practice the qualities that are recognized him, in contrast, particularly with Barcelona, which, only for the center of defense, has names such as Pau Cubarsí, Jules Koundé, Eric García or Andreas Christensen.
At 19 years of age, the lefty knows that he needs to play so as not to stagnate from the point of view of football evolution, so he cannot afford to go to a destination that does not allow him to do so, taking into account, moreover, that the squad at Marco Silva's orders is not exactly rich in options for the lands he treads.
Why can't it happen?
Arthur Dias has a valid contract until December 2028, and, at the age of 19, he is already considered one of the biggest promises of Brazilian football, so that, recently, information has emerged giving the account that the Athletico Paranaense would only be willing to negotiate it for values from 30 million euros.
A fasquia to which Benfica would hardly reach (in the last defense, in summer, the largest investment was made in the acquisition of Alessandro Circati to Parma for EUR 18 million), much less by a player who, despite the potential, is far from having proof given to the highest level.
Barcelona, Como and Tottenham also present another type of financial and, of course, sporting arguments. The first are two Spanish champions, the second are battling the Champions League for the first time in history and the third, despite the crisis they are going through, militate the ‘powerful’ Premier League.
Every week Sports to Minute presents a new edition of the heading ‘The rumor of the week’, which aims to analyze, in detail, the circumstances surrounding the most popular business in the transfer market.