Everyone is crazy about Varela: Inter are assessing him, Benifca can match the offer but do not have the “recompra”

First up are Benfica, who sold him in the summer. An average of one goal per game at the start of the league season has made the 21-year-old one of the surprises of this Serie A campaign. His goalscoring ability has attracted interest from many top Italian and European clubs. The Lisbon club held Varela's registration while he made a name for himself last year on loan at Gil Vicente. When Benfica sold him, they retained matching rights, giving them the right to match future offers. Interest and enquiries could develop in the coming weeks.

Benfica, however, have no buy-back right for the striker, despite reports from Portugal this morning. Monza have full control of the player, while the Portuguese club hold only the option to match future offers. The 2005-born player's registration belongs entirely to the Brianza club, who signed him permanently in the summer for a fixed fee of just over €2 million.

Benfica will also have matching rights and 20% of any future profit made by Monza. Inter have already begun scouting Varela. Last night at the U Power Stadium, Monza beat Cagliari 4-0 as Varela scored twice and provided an assist. Inter sporting director Dario Baccin watched the Portuguese player specifically and came away impressed. Could he already be a target for the winter transfer window?

As a boy, the Portuguese player was immersed in football,accompanying his father Fernando to almost every training session. Fernando, a centre-back, had Gustavo at 17, before making it in football: "I took him with me, we had breakfast and then I let him wander around the pitch." One day, as the team stood in a circle discussing their previous match, Gustavo emerged from the changing rooms and kicked the ball into the air. "I told the coach to let him do it, because it was impossible to keep him still".

Gustavo worked his way up through a poor, difficult childhood, making sacrifices along the way. His father only began earning some money around the age of 20: "I asked for and received help: from my in-laws, my parents and my friends." In 2024, father and son faced each other for the first time in their careers: Gustavo played as a striker for Benfica B, the team he had grown up with, while Fernando marked him for Alverca. The whole family watched from the stands. For Fernando, it was the most important match of his career.

Varela scored six goals for Gil Vicente last year, having made his first-team debut against Oliveirense the previous season. In 2024-25, the season he faced his father, he scored 14 goals for the second team. Born and raised in Lisbon, he followed his father around Europe: from 2016 to 2022, he played as a striker in PAOK's youth teams in Greece. Asked about his biggest dream, he was clear: "I've played against my father. What more could I ask for? Beyond that, the Portuguese national team is a big goal." If he keeps this up, who knows?