Gustavo Varela is one of the hottest names in the new 2026/27 season of Italian football, with seven goals scored (and an assist) after so many other Serie A matches, which puts him in second place on the list of top scorers, just behind Antonio Raimundo, from Frosinone (who already has seven).
A record that did not go unnoticed… for Benficawho sold him, in the past summer transfer market, to Monza, in exchange for a sum of around 2.5 million euros (plus bonuses), plus 20% of any value allocated to a future sale and the possibility of matching any proposal to recover him.
The management led by Rui Costa will be seriously considering the possibility of buying back the 21-year-old player soon, at a time when his growth has also been accompanied, hand in hand, by ‘colosses’ such as Arsenal or Napoli.
Is it time for Gustavo Varela to return to the place where he was ‘born’ for football, in search of the real opportunity he never had? Or, instead, will you look for this authentic ‘explosion’ on transalpine soil to try to reach other levels? THE Sport at the Minute analyzes the pros and cons of this rumor.
Why might this happen?
Gustavo Varela had already done the job well last season, when he was loaned to Gil Vicente and scored seven goals and scored many more after 33 games, but this proof of ability, at a more demanding level, is unlikely to be followed by Benfica.
The confidence that the management led by Rui Costa maintains in the Portuguese-Cape Verdean’s potential was evident with the reservation that he insisted on including in the agreement with Monza, with a view to a potential return to the Estádio da Luz, so the news of ‘harassment’ ends up not surprising.
It is also necessary to take into account that Vangelis Pavlidis is not guaranteed continuity with an eagle on his chest, as he continues to be referenced by some of the biggest clubs in European footballand Jhon Durán, ‘plan B’, is on loan from Al Nassr with no purchase option, so a ‘hole’ could soon open up in the Reds’ attack.
Why might it not happen?
In five years of contractual involvement with Benfica, Gustavo Varela had a single opportunity to play in the main team (on May 17, 2024, in a 1-1 draw with Rio Ave, when Roger Schmidt sent him on to replace Casper Tengstedt, in the final moments), something that he himself will hardly have forgotten.
Even though Monza is not exactly a ‘heavyweight’ in Italian football, the truth is that it is signing a stable start to the season, a circumstance that gives the young promise the opportunity to continue to show itself continuously, something that would possibly not happen at the Estádio da Luz.
It is also necessary to take into account the supposed interest of clubs such as Napoli or Arsenal, who would be able to present other types of sporting and financial arguments to a striker who has a contract valid until June 2030, which would make a possible return to Portugal even more complicated.
Every week, the Sport at the Minute presents you with a new edition of the section ‘The rumor of the week’, which aims to analyze, in detail, the circumstances surrounding the most popular deals in the transfer market.
