Nicolas Gaitan. Benfica want to sell. And they want to do business in England - and soon.

Luiz Felipe Vieira, the Benfica president, and Gaitan's agent, the influential Jorge Mendes, were in London a fortnight ago for talks with interested Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea.

There are two factors driving Vieira's need to sell.

At 27 years of age and after five years with the Primeira Liga champs, Gaitan is in the prime of his career and Benfica's most saleable asset. Vieira needs the cash to fund Benfica's own transfer plans ahead of next season's Champions League campaign.

Also weighing on Vieira is the deal Gaitan signed last year, which would see him earn a bumper pay-hike next season - making the Argentine the highest paid player at the club. The Benfica president sees better value cashing in now.

That new contract, while extending terms to 2018, was negotiated with a view to Gaitan being sold this summer. The agreement's buyout clause was reduced from €45 million to €35 million - which is the jumping off point for negotiations with Premier League clubs.

Chelsea's interest is obvious. Mendes also boasts Jose Mourinho on his books and has offered Gaitan to the Blues manager. However, any deal is likely to hinge on the immediate future of Juan Cuadrado.

United, meanwhile, see Gaitan as a potential replacement for Angel di Maria, according to some sections of the Portuguese press.

A situation which would come as no surprise to PAOK defender Miguel Vitor, who played with both Gaitan and Di Maria at Benfica.

"I followed Benfica's games this season," he told Maisfutebol. "After four years, it's no surprise to see him so perfectly in tune with (coach) Jorge Jesus' game.

"Nico was always a very intelligent player. Now he is more mature and consistent."

Vitor was at Benfica during the sale of Di Maria and Gaitan's arrival.

"The expectations are usually created by those outside. Nico was more than simply a replacement for Di Maria.

"He was a high level reinforcement for Benfica."

Five years on and Gaitan has woven himself into the fabric of Benfica, being recognised as their Player of the Year for 2014 during the club's 111th anniversary.

"I am very happy for the recognition. The individual award is nice, but I like the collective. Last season was very good for us, we won all the trophies in Portugal and lost the Europa League only on penalties," he said.

That reference to "the collective" is a very strong part of Gaitan's game.

The Argentine, by his own admission, isn't a regular goalscorer. But he takes great pride in his assists record.

"It's something that has always been leveled at me over the years. People look at my stats every year and see that I do not score many goals - but I try to help in other ways, with the assists.

"I'm the player with the most assists at Benfica and that makes me very happy."

Gaitan is well aware of the push to sell him in the coming weeks, but insists any move won't be driven by him.

"I have a contract, I do not know what else to say. Do I want to stay? Of course! I am very happy here.

"In football, you cannot say anything with certainty. You cannot say 'I will play for this club my entire life'. If I wasn't playing, I'd look for another club. But this isn't the case. Am I happy? Of course!"

On the other side of the world, former club Boca Juniors are hoping Vieira is successful in finding a buyer.

Boca will be due almost €1.6 million should Benfica sell Gaitan for his €35 million buyout clause. And making negotiations smoother for interested English clubs is confirmation that (contrary to previous reports) Boca hold no third party percentage of Gaitan's contract.

"Benfica is a club of unique grandeur," continued the Argentine. "It has helped me grow.

"I feel wonderful being part of Benfica. It feels like home and when you have these emotions, you can take them onto the pitch and improve as a player."

But for all his emotional ties to his current club, former teammate Vitor feels it's time Gaitan made the step up.

"He's now at the peak of his career.

"He has the ability to become a top player in a top club."

And Vitor insists, if his destination is to be United, Gaitan could move to Old Trafford not as a replacement for Di Maria, but to complement his fellow Argentine.

"Di María had more intensity, gambled more in the one to ones, but Nico is more cerebral, more technical.

"He could well become a No10 of world-class standard, despite playing more often on the left."