Benfica is once again linked with Atlético Mineiro’s left-back Guilherme Arana according to recent reports coming from the Brazilian edition of Goal.com.

The 24-year-old has had a phenomenal season for the Brazilian league leaders in which he has scored five goals and provided seven assists in forty-one appearances across all competitions.

Arana joined Atlético on a permanent basis in July of this year after having spent 18 months on loan at the club from the Spanish side Sevilla.

The Brazilian side paid a total of €5M for the acquisition of Arana and is said to be looking to cash out quickly on the club’s second-best player this season for a hefty sum of €15M. Benfica has yet to make any formal offer to Mineiro and would do well to lower the price tag placed on the recent Brazil national team call-up.

A Benfica move would be Arana’s second venture to Europe. Many would say his first attempt in Europe with Sevilla was a failure, as he featured in only 25 games over his three and a half year career there.

Any move by encarnados during the upcoming winter transfer window for Arana is probably unlikely to happen. At the moment, the club’s main focus is shoring up its center-back position with the season-ending injury to starter Lucas Veríssimo just last weekend.

Looking at life after Alex Grimaldo, Benfica seems content to dip its toes in the waters. The La Masia graduate continues to be a transfer target for some of Europe’s bigger clubs and it’s only a matter of time before Benfica receives an offer it can’t refuse.

Are you of the opinion that Arana would be a good signing for the club? Or are there equal or better options at the Benfica Campus?