Forward ‘similar to Joao Felix’ urged to join Leicester City as club hatch £86m plan

Add as preferred source on Google

On a weekend in which Jeremy Monga became Leicester City’s youngest-ever goalscorer, the King Power Stadium emerged as a potential destination for another sprightly young attacker with talent by the bucketload.

And, to paraphrase one reporter, leaving home for a fresh start in the East Midlands would be a lot better for a 20-year-old’s development than a season stuck on the bench at a European giant.

The aforementioned Jeremy Monga is not only Leicester’s youngest-ever goalscorer by the way. Cutting inside and rifling home a fabulous solo effort in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Preston North End, the teenager is now the second-youngest player ever to find the net in the Championship.

If 16-year-old Monga goes on to experience a fraction of the success enjoyed by Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, then Marti Cifuentes’ trust in the Leicester City academy graduate will have been repaid with considerable interest.

Unfortunately for Cifuentes, the rest of his Foxes frontline were not quite as effective on a day in which Milutin Osmajic clipped in an 85th minute winner at Deepdale.

Opportunities should present themselves for Joao Rego, then, as Leicester weigh up a move for the Benfica starlet.

Benfica starlet Joao Rego urged to consider Leicester City transfer

Bruno Francisco, a reporter who works for Portuguese publication A Bola, can certainly see the advantages of Rego swapping the Estadio da Luz for the King Power.

Just last year, the Portugal Under-19 international was linked with Inter Milan, Juventus and Chelsea.

Furthermore, due to his ability to lead the attacker as a striker or a little deeper between the lines, Joao Rego has been labelled the second coming of Joao Felix by some over in Iberia.

While Saudi Arabia at 25 is not what Felix had in mind when bursting onto the scene in Lisbon, such was his precocious talent Benfica made a staggering £106 million when selling the teenager to Atletico Madrid back in 2019.

In the hope that history could repeat itself, Record claims that Benfica plan to tie Joao Rego down to a new deal with an £86 million release clause. However, he is not in the immediate plans of head coach Bruno Lage, and this is complicating matters as Francisco explains.

“He briefly went into Benfica’s squad [last season] but this ended because he didn’t get much playing time,” the reporter begins, Rego featuring for only 18 minutes across a trio of cameo appearances.

“He is already 20 years of age. He’s no longer a very young player. We are not talking about a player who has just appeared in the B team at 18.

“At 20 years old, he is in that position where he has to play to establish himself, and there won’t be that space at Benfica. Benfica are making a policy of hiring big names.

“I don’t think this is the time that Joao Rego will get plenty of minutes and space to assert himself in this Benfica squad. It seems to me that, whether it is Leicester in England, the player has to find time to play.”

Benfica recently invested £20 million in former Union Saint-Gilloise forward Franjo Ivanovic. In the process, pushing Joao Rego even further down ex-Wolves boss Lage’s pecking order.

“He has a lot of quality,” Francisco adds.

“Bruno Lage said he really liked Joao Rego. He looked to the bench for Joao Rego several times during the season. [He played] as a striker or a second-striker because he has a good finishing ability.

“[But] Benfica are looking to bring in players who are ‘done’, who can enter [the team] immediately and do not need to grow. And, from that perspective, it is best for Joao Rego to leave because otherwise a year will pass him by.”

Portugal U19 star could replace Bilal El Khannouss at Leicester

Record explain that Rego’s flexibility appeals to a Leicester side who may yet lose Bilal El Khannouss to suitors in the Premier League. Mercurial Moroccan El Khannouss appears likely to join Crystal Palace.

He will step into the shoes of the Spurs-bound Ebere Eze, and perhaps Joao Rego could do the same for El Khannouss.

The report adds that Leicester are hoping to strike an initial loan deal, with an option-to-buy clause included. It is not certain at this stage how much a permanent transfer could cost, though Leicester should at least have some money to spend later down the line with El Khannouss expected to fetch in excess of £25 million.

“When I saw him, I was immediately certain he was different kid due to his physical prowess, his technique, but above all, his ability to perceive his surroundings,” explains Marcio Mestro, who coached Joao Rego at Ourique Sports Club [A Bola].

“He took in information, adapted, and executed with abilities far beyond those of his age.

“He’s not a disruptor, nor a natural sprinter. His speed is more in his thinking, in his execution, and he also has a good shot. He could play roles similar to those of Joao Felix.”