A busy 24 hours for Benfica has seen them follow up their Supercup win over FC Porto by confirming the double signing of Brazilian forward Arthur Cabral and Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Cabral joins from Italian club Fiorentina as replacement for Gonçalo Ramos, in a deal worth €20m with an additional €5m in add-ons. Youngster Trubin has signed a five-year contract from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of €10m with €1m in bonuses.
Benfica sold Portugal striker Ramos to Paris Saint-Germain last week for €65m plus a potential €15m in add-ons. Cabral will step into the shoes vacated by Ramos, leaving Fiorentina having struggled to find consistency in Italy following a high-profile move from Swiss giants Basel 18 months ago.
Carbal scored 10 goals in 42 appearances in Serie A, but was impressive in front of goal during La Viola’s Europa Conference League campaign last term with 8 struck in 16 outings making him the competition’s top marksman.
The 25-year-old was also a strong performer for Basel in European competition, racking up an impressive 15 goals in 15 continental matches during the 18 months before his switch to Florence. A Brazilian under-23 international, Carbal has yet to make his debut at senior level for his country, where he played for Ceara and Palmeiras before heading to Europe.
“It’s good to be here,” Cabral told the club’s media. “My goal is to enter club history, help my teammates and celebrate titles like they did yesterday.”
22-year-old goalkeeper Trubin arrives in Lisbon having been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer, including Chelsea and Internazionale. Shakhtar have retained a significant sell-on clause in the deal, with the Ukrainian club entitled to 40% of any future sale. Trubin has recently established himself as Ukraine’s no1 goalkeeper, taking his place in all four matches his country have played in 2023.
By Sean Gillen
