Alessandro Circati to Benfica
Parma's €18m wall completes move

1. 19 Aug
   Deal announced

   Parma and Benfica both confirmed the transfer, with Circati signing a contract until June 2031.
2. 18 Aug
   Medical completed

   Circati flew to Portugal and passed his medical with no fitness issues reported.
3. 18 Aug
   Fee agreed

   Benfica and Parma settled on a fee reported at around €18m-€20m with personal terms already in place.

Parma have sold Australia centre-back Alessandro Circati to Benfica in a permanent deal reported at €18m plus add-ons, with the 22-year-old signing a contract until 2031.

Benfica have completed the signing of centre-back Alessandro Circati from Parma, with both clubs confirming the move on 19 August. The fee is reported at €18m plus up to €2m in add-ons, and the Australian international has signed a contract running to June 2031. Circati flew to Lisbon to complete his medical the day before the announcement and had no fitness issues to report before putting pen to paper.

Benfica's interest was built on a season in which Circati established himself as one of Serie A's most reliable young defenders. He made 31 appearances for Parma in 2025-26 after returning from a torn ACL, earning the nickname "Il Muro" (The Wall) from the club's supporters for his defending. That form, allied to a strong World Cup with Australia, is understood to have also attracted attention from Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain before Benfica moved to get the deal done. Circati has described himself as comfortable playing either centre-back role in a back four or a back three, which adds to his appeal for a club that switches between defensive shapes.

For Parma, it's the loss of a player who had become central to the club's recent history. He joined from Perth Glory's academy in 2021, broke into the first team the following year, and was a key part of the side that won the Serie B title in 2023-24 before helping Parma survive back-to-back seasons in Serie A. He leaves having made 96 appearances in total, 37 of them in the top flight, with two goals. In its statement, Parma thanked Circati and wished him well in "the next chapter of his career".

Circati's stock has been rising all year. As well as his defensive form for Parma, he started all four of Australia's matches at this year's World Cup, helping the Socceroos to two clean sheets, and had earlier become the youngest Australia captain since 1981 when he wore the armband in November. The transfer is reported as an Australian record fee, surpassing Harry Souttar's 2023 move to Leicester.

At Benfica, Circati becomes the latest defensive reinforcement under manager Marco Silva as the club looks to build on a third-place Primeira Liga finish and a Champions League run that ended against Real Madrid last season. He joins fellow Australian Nestory Irankunda, who moved to Portugal with Sporting CP this summer, and said after signing: "It's a huge honour, a privilege. I'm over the moon, couldn't be happier... I can't wait to play in front of you all, and win as many titles as we can."

With his adaptability across defensive systems and his form for both club and country over the past year, Circati arrives with a strong chance of going straight into Benfica's back line rather than needing a long adjustment period.

• Announced by the clubs100

A sourcing score, not a chance of completion: it grades how solid the reporting behind the move is. The stage and the evidence come from the sources listed below; the arithmetic is fixed in code, the same for every deal.

• Alessandro Circati moves to S.L. Benfica - Parma Calcio 1913 (official)
• Oficial: Alessandro Circati é reforço do Benfica - SL Benfica (official)
• Official: Circati sold to Benfica, Parma pocket €18m plus bonus for Australian - Football Italia
• Circati to leave Parma for Benfica in €20m deal - Football Italia
• Benfica sign Socceroos defender Alessandro Circati from Parma - ESPN
• Socceroos star Alessandro Circati seals $33 million transfer move to Portuguese giants Benfica - ABC News