Chelsea are among a group of Premier League clubs monitoring Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni as the 20-year-old continues to make rapid progress in Portugal.
TalkSport reports that Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Brighton have all followed the Argentina international closely in recent months. Scouts from the clubs are assessing whether Prestianni is ready to make the next step in his career.
No formal offers have been made, but interest in the winger is growing as he continues to impress for Benfica. TEAMtalk also reported that Chelsea were part of a cluster of Premier League clubs tracking the player, with journalist Graeme Bailey highlighting the renewed attention on 2 October 2026.
Prestianni joined Benfica from Argentine club Velez Sarsfield in 2024 and was already known to recruitment departments in England before that move. His transfer to Portugal was viewed as an ideal development route, giving him the opportunity to gain experience in European football before potentially moving to a bigger club.
The winger established himself at Benfica last season, making more than 30 appearances in all competitions. He has scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists so far, displaying the pace, creativity and technical ability that initially attracted scouts from England.
Benfica are aware of the increasing Premier League interest and are keen to strengthen their position by tying Prestianni to a new long-term contract. The Portuguese club are determined to protect the value of a player who has won 2 international caps.
However, the interested clubs are currently gathering information rather than actively pursuing negotiations. If Prestianni continues to establish his reputation, that interest could develop into more concrete approaches during future transfer windows.
Prestianni was also in the spotlight last season during Benfica’s Champions League play-off first-leg match against Real Madrid in Lisbon on 17 February. During the game, he directed racist abuse at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, who said the Argentine had called him a “monkey”.
UEFA subsequently suspended Prestianni for 6 matches, with 3 of those suspended. FIFA accepted UEFA’s request for the punishment to apply at international level.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni then left Prestianni out of the Argentina squad for the 2026 World Cup, but included him in the current training camp.
