With Deadline Day looming across much of Europe today, several La Liga teams, such as Sevilla, have maintained an active stance on the transfer front. Particularly, Sevilla is looking to reshape its attacking corps by bringing a former Spanish league star into the ranks at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, while another forward is set to depart from the club after a three-year stint.
Dodi Lukébakio, who joined Sevilla ahead of the 2023-24 season, is headed to Benefica after agreeing to a deal with the Portugese club over the weekend. According to football insider Fabrizio Romano, Lukebakio is flying in today to complete his medical assessment with Benefica, then an official announcement should be on the way shortly thereafter.
🚨🦅 Dodi Lukebakio to Benfica, here we go! Agreement done between clubs with Sevilla and medical on Monday.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 31, 2025
Lukebakio signs deal until June 2030 ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/VOmM9LSfZ6
Last season, Lukebakio started 36 matches for Sevilla and was a productive asset on the pitch while doing so, depositing 11 goals during La Liga play. The season before that, Lukebakio contributed five goals in a much smaller role on the team, so he operated as a goal-producing engine when given the opportunity during his Sevilla tenure.
At 27 years old, Lukebakio has a lot of quality football ahead of him, and Benefica should be well served in their efforts to replace the offensive skillset of Karem Aktürkoğlu, who is headed back to Turkiye to play for Fenerbahce.
Who will Sevilla turn to up top?
From a Sevilla perspective, the club wanted to remain threatening up front after losing Lukebakio, so overtures were made to sign a former La Liga star in Alexis Sanchez. Though checking in at 36 years old, the Chilean forward last played in La Liga over a decade ago and has had a long journey since starring for Barcelona in his early 20s. As of late, Sanchez has played for Udinese, Marseille and Inter over the past six seasons and lodged 18 goals in Serie A during that timespan despite a goalless campaign at Udinese in 2024-25.
On his day, Sanchez exhibited a healthy dose of creativity and dribbling prowess on the pitch, and he will be asked to dial back the clock and harness the same offensive instinct that made him a star early in his career at Barcelona. Now, he will have the opportunity to regain his form at Sevilla according to football insider Fabrizio Romano.
So far, Sevilla has earned just three points in three La Liga matches after picking up a 2-0 win against Girona over the weekend.
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