Benfica close on former Barcelona forward

Portuguese champions Benfica are hot on the trail of Deportivo La Coruna winger Isaac Cuenca, Record can reveal.

The Eagles are already preparing for life without Nicolas Gaitan and they believe the La Masia graduate would be a good replacement for the Argentine.

Benfica have been watching the 23-year-old regularly this season and they are confident he has what it takes to succeed at Estadio da Luz.

And with Cuenca’s deal at Riazor due to expire at the end of the current campaign, the Eagles plan to recruit him on a free transfer.

The talented footballer was unable to prove his worth at Barcelona despite showing a great deal of promise in his first season in the senior team.

A difficult injury then marred his loan spell with Ajax and Cuenca eventually joined Deportivo La Coruna on a free transfer last summer.

He has since made a total of 23 La Liga appearances and scored two goals in the process.