Manchester United have received a boost in their pursuit of Joao Neves as he has turned down a new contract offer at SL Benfica.
The Red Devils are in desperate need of midfield recruitment as players in the middle of the park struggled all season to provide the necessary balance and protection to the beleaguered and injury-ravaged defence.
Casemiro will likely leave this summer and the futures of players like Christian Eriksen and Sofyan Amrabat are still very much up in the air.
United have subsequently been linked to talented midfield players like Youssouf Fofana and Joao Gomes but none capture the imagination like that of Benfica’s wonderkid, Joao Neves.
It was reported that Benfica have already rejected a bid from United for the 19 year old midfielder and other European giants like Paris Saint-Germain are circling.
Portuguese paper Record have provided a positive update this morning for any club pursuing the player, reporting that “Benfica presented a proposal to João Neves to renew his contract, but the midfielder did not accept it, despite being able to see his salary doubled, to 1 million euros net.”
From the player’s perspective, “the values placed on the table are not enough, compared to what other players, with much less influence, receive.”´
Benfica certainly hold a significant amount of power in negotiations as the outstanding midfield talent is protected by a deal to 2028 and a gigantic release clause of €120 million.
Nonetheless, “even if the player is not in a hurry to leave, he also knows that, at this time, there are several top European football clubs presenting tempting proposals. In other words, a lot can happen this summer and until the end of the transfer market it is possible that there will be no new negotiations.”
Record then list United and PSG as the chasing clubs, with the French side already opening negotiations.
Neves is currently representing Portugal at Euro 2024 and according to the paper, there will be no new discussions on a deal until his nation’s tournament is over.
He has been described as a “sparkling talent” who is “a technically proficient player” who will look to dictate possession.
Whilst the teenager is incredibly expensive, his potential partnership in the midfield with fellow 19 year old Kobbie Mainoo would be mouth-watering for United fans and having a front row seat to the pair’s progress would be mind blowing for United fans.
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