Charlotte FC attempting to sign Nuno Santos from Benfica, Sergio Ruiz to depart

Forum 1 year ago

Charlotte FC attempting to sign Nuno Santos from Benfica, Sergio Ruiz to depart

Charlotte FC are working on a deal to sign attacking midfielder Nuno Santos from Portuguese giants Benfica, 90min understands.

With the MLS secondary transfer window shutting on Thursday, teams are hard at work strengthening their rosters for a final push to make the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Charlotte have been particularly busy, signing defenders Nathan Byrne and Adilson Malanda on Thursday, while also allowing Venezuelan center-back Christian Makoun to leave for the New England Revolution.

90min understands CLTFC are preparing to let Spanish midfielder Sergio Ruiz leave the club on a permanent basis, with Granada looking like his most probable destination. Sources have confirmed that the club are lining up Santos as his replacement, with plenty of work still to do in getting a deal over the line, though talks appear to be progressing.

A 44-time international for Portugual across various youth levels, Santos is an exciting prospect. The 23-year-old is yet to feature for Benfica's senior team, but has played 74 Portuguese top-flight matches to date during loan spells with Pacos Ferreira, Boavista, and Moreirense, scoring seven goals and assisting another five.

Primarily a No.10, Santos can also operate on either flank or slightly deeper in the midfield. The playmaker was part of the Portugal team that won the U-19 European Championships in 2018.