Who is…the Argentine winger that Sunderland are sizing up?
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He’s not the most below-radar player on the planet, but for Sunderland fans ‘picking up’ the papers today, Eduardo Salvio’s name may not have instantly registered.
According to north-eastern news source the ChronicleLive, the Benfica winger is thought to have been the subject of a mammoth £21m offer from David Moyes’ new club.
Just what would the Black Cats be getting for their sizeable buck though? Well, Salvio is a fully-fledged Argentine international, albeit the last of the 26-year-old’s five caps was won back in 2012.
At club level, Salvio has tasted plenty of success since swapping the suburbs of Buenos Aires where he grew up turning out firstly for local club Lanus for European football, through stints at Atletico Madrid and latterly Benfica.
Joining Atletico mid-way through the 2009/10 campaign, the nippy right winger-come attacking midfielder, went on to make eight Europa League appearances on his way to the first of two trophies in three years in that competition for Los Rojiblancos.
In the campaign between those successes, in 2010/11, Salvio left the Vicente Calderon to begin his love affair with Benfica. He left a lasting impression on the Portuguese giants thanks to a tally of 10 goals in 39 appearances, helping the Aguias lift the League Cup in the process.
He was to make his move to the Stadio da Luz permanent for the start of 2012/13 and rewarded Benfica’s faith with 13 more goals in his debut as a fully-fledged Eagle.
Although that season was barren in terms of silverware, Salvio and Benfica have more than made up for that hiatus, winning back-to-back-to-back Primeira Liga titles, the Portuguese Cup and the League Cup another three times.
It would appear that a new challenge is being sought, but boasting a cupboard full of medals it will come as little surprise that Salvio’s signature is being coveted elsewhere.
Latest reports suggest Monaco and AC Milan will compete with the Premier League outfit got the Argentine’s services.
The one black mark against Salvio is the ACL knee injury that reduced him to just seven appearances last season, even after returning to the fold in February.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
