A report in A Bola claims Real Madrid left-back Fabio Coentrao is hankering after a return to Benfica.
Coentrao joined Madrid for €30m from the Portuguese giants before the start of the 2011-12 campaign, yet he is reported to have become disillusioned with the constant criticism from fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.
So much so that he is understood to be prepared to take a huge wage reduction to increase his chances of going back to the Estadio Da Luz.
The main obstacle from Benfica’s point of view is that Madrid would look to recoup most of the money they paid for the 24-year-old although, with boss Jose Mourinho having shown an interest in Eagles’ defensive midfielder Axel Witsel, a swap deal may be an attractive proposition.
Coentrao has made no secret of the fact he would like to play for his former club sometime in the future and has never hidden where his true allegiances lie.
“Benfica is the club I love, the club of my heart, and I would like to go back there before I reach 30 and while I am still fresh, not when I am nearing the end of my career. I want to help the club,” he declared in an interview with O Jogo this summer.
Having joined Benfica from Rio Ave in 2007, Coentrao had spells on loan at both Nacional and Real Zaragoza before establishing himself with Benfica.
