Madrid - Spanish giants Atletico Madrid have loaned out winger Jose Antonio Reyes to Portuguese club Benfica for a season, the club said Friday. The Lisbon club will have an option to buy Reyes at the end of the season.
The career of Reyes, 24, has slumped in the past two years, in which he has lost his place in the Spanish national squad.
He was loaned out to Real Madrid by Arsenal for the 2006/2007 season but failed to impress at the Estadio Bernabeu.
In July 2007 he was bought by Atletico. He made 26 appearances last season but failed to score a single goal, and got on badly with Javier Aguirre.
Indeed, the Mexican coach did not include Reyes in his list of players for the Champions League qualifying clashes against German club Schalke 04.
According to Spanish media reports on Friday, Benfica's new coach - Spaniard Quique Sanchez Flores - is also interested in Espanyol striker Luis Garcia.
