This season, Benfica suffered defeats on two fronts. They failed to advance from the Champions League group stage, and after 12 rounds of the league, they are already 8 points behind Porto at the top of the table. Under these circumstances, according to Portuguese media reports, Benfica has decided to place two key players from their treasured defensive line, David Luiz and Coentrao, on the transfer market. As the most prominent player in the team, the Brazilian central defender David Luiz, who has long been watched by European major clubs, is priced at 30 million euros by Benfica.
Since David Luiz has already participated in the Champions League group stage for Benfica, if he ultimately joins AC Milan in the winter, he will not be able to participate in the Champions League knockout stage matches for his new club. However, he can play in the league for Milan in the second half of the season. For the young David Luiz, training alongside a great central defender like Nesta could be highly beneficial. In this aspect, Milan does not need to worry. Currently, both Pato and Thiago Silva started playing official matches only after training with Milan for six months, and David Luiz can definitely play in the league.
If AC Milan wants to sign David Luiz, they will face competition from numerous top clubs including Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester United, and Inter Milan. Just yesterday, Figo recommended to Moratti that they should sign this Brazilian defender, as Figo views him as one of the strongest central defenders in Europe. However, AC Milan also has its own advantages. On one hand, the general manager of Benfica is Rui Costa, who had a wonderful career at AC Milan. On the other hand, there is a good relationship between Thiago Silva and David Luiz, who are teammates on the Brazil national team. With Lucio and Juan aging, the two are likely to become the main central defender partners for the Brazil national team. As a close friend, Thiago Silva's appeal will also influence David Luiz to some extent. Additionally, AC Milan has always had a "Brazilian clique" tradition, which is an important factor that David Luiz, as a Brazilian, must consider.
This season, the central defender partnership of Nesta and Thiago Silva has been stable, but among the substitutes—Bonera, Papastathopoulos, and Yepes—none are reliable. For the double-fronted Rossoneri, finding a central defender with sufficient ability is urgent. Moreover, with rumors of Nesta's transfer flying around, it is necessary for the Rossoneri to find a replacement. Previously, Thiago Silva revealed in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport that AC Milan was interested in his Brazilian national team teammate David Luiz. The young Brazilian national team central defender duo of Thiago Silva and David Luiz could potentially join forces at Milan.