Benfica manager Roger Schmidt has insisted that Antonio Silva will not be allowed to leave the Portuguese club during the January transfer window.

The 20-year-old is viewed as one of the best young centre-backs in world football, and his future has been the subject of much speculation over the last 12 months.

A recent report claimed that Manchester United had identified him as their leading target for 2024, with the Red Devils potentially allowing Raphael Varane to leave next year.

Liverpool are also in the market for another centre-back, and Jurgen Klopp's side are said to be huge admirers of the Portugal international, who has scored once in 23 appearances for Benfica this season.

Real Madrid are long-term admirers, meanwhile, and Los Blancos are considering moving for a new centre-back in January due to David Alaba's recent injury blow.

However, Schmidt, when questioned on the likes of Silva and Joao Neves, insisted that Benfica would not be letting any important players leave in the middle of the campaign.

"I talk to them every day, all of them," he told reporters at a press conference. "We're in the middle of the season, we have big goals with Benfica.

"Of course we're not going to let these players leave, we need them and they don't want to leave. There's no question about that."

Silva, who has a €100m (£88m) release clause in his current deal, has made 67 appearances for Benfica in all competitions, scoring six times in the process.

The Portuguese has featured 14 times in the Champions League for his Portuguese club, and he has a contract with the Eagles until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

Neves, 19, is also seen as one of the biggest young talents in world football, with the midfielder making 26 appearances this season, scoring once and providing two assists.

There have been suggestions that Man United are at the head of the queue for the youngster, who has been capped on three occasions by Portugal.

Benfica currently sit top of the Primeira Liga table, boasting 36 points from their opening 15 matches of the campaign, but they were unable to progress to the knockout round of the Champions League, finishing third in Group D behind Real Sociedad and Inter Milan. body check tags ::