Watford taking Benfica striker Araujo on loan for rest of season

Araujo, who turned 21 this week, signed a contract extension in November 2022 that tied him to the Primeira Liga club until 2027 – and comes with a €100m buy-out clause!

While it’s unlikely anyone at Vicarage Road will be looking to exercise that clause any time soon, it is understood that an attempt by Benfica to insert a term into the loan agreement which stipulated Watford would have to play Araujo for at least 45 minutes in 75% of games, or pay the Portuguese club €1m, was rejected by the Hornets.

Head coach Slaven Bilic has said since before the transfer window opened that he wanted a striker, and the Watford Observer understands Araujo is a player he was very keen on.

With the Portuguese player only flying to England today to complete the necessary paperwork and undertake his medical, it is unlikely he will be able to gain international clearance in time to be able to take part in Saturday’s game with Rotherham United.

Araujo has made five substitute appearances for Benfica in the Primeira Liga this season, as well as three starts and two more appearances from the bench in the Champions League.

The striker scored in the 6-1 win away at Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League in November.

Also this season he’s scored four times in six starts for the Benfica B team, and has found the net four times for Portugal Under-21s including a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic.

Born on the island of Madeira, he played his youth football at local side Andorinha before moving onto Maritimo and then signing for Benfica as a 16-year-old in 2018.

He scored a phenomenal 54 goals in 30 games during his final season with Maritimo’s Under-17 team.

Araujo (39) in action for Benfica against Estoril Praia (Image: Action Images)

The goals kept flowing when he arrived at Benfica: 37 in 33 games for their Under-17s before he progressed into the Under-19 and Under-21 sides.

He made his breakthrough last season, hitting three goals in five outings for the first team having also banged in 13 in 26 appearances for the B team.

Benfica were top scorers in Portugal’s Segunda Liga, and Araujo was voted Young Player of the Season in that division.

Araujo has 10 Under-21 caps overall, scoring seven goals in total, and last season he scored a hat-trick in the UEFA Youth League Final as Benfica beat Red Bull Salzburg 6-0 – the club’s first European title since they won the 1962 European Cup.

Back at the end of last season, a number of European sports news outlets reported that Liverpool, Manchester City and Barcelona had all been watching Araujo, but Benfica made it clear at the time they had no intention of selling.

The new contract signed by the player in November, coupled with the eye-watering buy-out fee, suggests they clearly meant that.

However, Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt is keen for the forward to get more game time and is happy for him to continue to develop under the tutelage of Bilic for the remainder of this campaign, given he is not short of goals in his first-team squad.

Benfica lost Darwin Nunez to Liverpool but his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, is currently top scorer in the Primeira Liga.

At almost six foot and with great movement, Araujo is renowned for coming alive inside the 18-yard box and being able to find space. He links play up well and has become accustomed to playing in a three-man forward line for Benfica B.