Marco Silva could reject BOTH Fulham and Benfica offers as saga continues

Marco Silva could reject offers from both Fulham and Benfica as he continues to weigh up his future, according to Portuguese reports.

Silva is in Lisbon as things stand, though not for talks with Benfica, as the situation regarding his future remains uncertain.

Fulham have offered Silva a three-year contract worth as much as £8 million a year, which would make the Portuguese the third-highest-paid manager in the Premier League.

Silva would also be granted significantly more sway regarding transfers, with the 48-year-old unhappy with certain areas of the squad.

But, after five years at Craven Cottage, and a decade in England, having also managed at Hull City, Watford and Everton before moving to west London, Silva is said to want to return to his homeland.

It is for that reason and the fact that Fulham missed out on European football, albeit by a solitary point, something the 48-year-old craves.

And that is why Benfica is such an enticing offer to Silva, with the club going unbeaten in the Portuguese league under Jose Mourinho, but still finishing behind fellow Portuguese big boys Porto and Sporting Lisbon.

That means they will be in the Europa League next season, along with Italian giants Juventus and AC Milan, as well as three Premier League overperformers in Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace.

But, according to Portuguese outlet Record, Silva could also reject the proposal from Benfica due to the financial proposal on offer.

It said: “Record understands that the figures presented to convince the coach to become Benfica's new manager fell short of expectations. 

“In other words, if Benfica's board doesn't improve its offer, Marco Silva may also reject joining the club. 

“As Record reported, this could be a real obstacle to negotiations, since the manager was enticed to stay at Fulham with a multi-million euro offer.”

Fulham have reportedly given Silva an ultimatum to let the club know by the end of May whether he is staying or not, so they can start making plans for their next manager or in the transfer market.

The Cottagers already missed out on Filipe Luis, who is set to join Monaco and was considered an ideal target to take over from Silva if he does leave.

There is, of course, also the ongoing Real Madrid election, which could throw a further spanner into the works if Enrique Riquelme beats Florentino Perez there and chooses a different manager to Mourinho.

Should that happen, Mourinho will stay put in Lisbon, but the results are not due until June 7 in Madrid.

It seems increasingly likely that Silva will leave Fulham. The article also reports that he had a final meeting with the club on Wednesday regarding a potential stay, but it now seems possible that he could end up without a club, at least temporarily heading into the 2026/27 season.

This saga is coming to an end, but when exactly the ending is, is currently unknown.