Fulham confirmed the departure of manager Marco Silva after five seasons on Tuesday.
The 48-year-old Lisbon native returned the Cottagers to the Premier League in his first season with a Championship title in 2022.
Silva is widely expected to join Benfica as its next manager, as BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel reported earlier in the day.
The Portuguese giants will be losing their manager imminently when Jose Mourinho’s reappointment at Real Madrid is made official.
Silva has also had stints at Hull City, Watford and Everton, spending the past nine years in England. Mokbel notes that Fulham offered Silva an extension, but he did not accept the offer.
Benfica finished in third in the Primeira Liga this past season, eight points adrift of champions Porto. Mourinho exits the club after only a single season. He is now set to return to the Bernabeu where he previously spent 2010 to 2013, winning a Copa del Rey in 2011 and a La Liga title in 2012.
