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Juventus say no to Benfica starlet; Mendes offers him to Atletico instead

Juventus say no to Benfica starlet; Mendes offers him to Atletico instead

Benfica centre-back Ruben Dias is widely tipped to be one of the best players in the future of Portugal. Dias has considerable talent and Juve were said to have been looking at the Benfica starlet as an alternative to signing Dutch wonderkid Matthijs de Ligt. De Ligt was thought to have been close to a move to Juventus before negotiations have proceeded on the track between Ajax and Barcelona; leading many to believe that the Dutchman will sign for Barca alongside teammate Frenkie de Jong.

According to what has been reported by Rai Sport, Juventus made an enquiry into Dias' availability; only to be met with a price estimate of €60m - out of Juve's price-range for a player so young and inexperienced. 

Instead, Dias' agent, Jorge Mendes, has opted to offer the young Portuguese defender to Atletico Madrid instead; who look keen to replace outgoing defender Diego Godin with a younger, more talented player. 

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