Marco Silva lined up to replace Benfica head coach Rui Vitoria next season

Exclusive: Lisbon giants Benfica have been keen on Silva for years, and they have made an approach to bring the 40-year-old coach to the Estadio da Luz next season

Marco Silva is set to return to Portugal (Getty)

Marco Silva has been lined up to return to Portuguese football to coach Benfica next season.

The Portuguese coach has been out of work since being sacked by Watford on 21 January and has had offers to stay in the Premier League and work with a third English club.

But Lisbon giants Benfica have been keen on Silva for years, and they have made an approach to bring the 40-year-old coach to the Estadio da Luz next season if Rui Vitoria, the current manager, is replaced. Vitoria is in his third season at Benfica and won the Portuguese title in each of the last two, but this year they are two points behind Sergio Conceicao’s Porto in the league.

Silva moved to Watford at the start of this season having narrowly failed to save Hull City from relegation last year. He started well at Watford but after Everton made an approach to sign him, Watford’s results collapsed and he was sacked earlier this year and replaced with Javi Gracia. Since then there have been other options to stay in England, including with West Bromwich Albion, but Silva has not yet taken a new job as he negotiates the terms of his pay-off with Watford.

A return to Portugal, where he coached Estoril and Sporting CP before leaving in 2014, is now a likelihood later this year.