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Manchester United are in pole position to sign Joao Neves from Benfica, but any deal may be about to get quite a bit more expensive.
This is according to reports from two Portuguese sources, O Jogo and Correio da Manhã.
O Jogo state that Man United are in “first place” to sign the talented young midfielder but there is a hitch.
Benfica are intending to offer the 19 year old a new deal which will increase his release clause from €120m to €150m.
Moreover, Neves will expect to see an increase in his current wages too. The player also only recently signed a new deal in August to reflect his strong performances and to fend off a variety of circling clubs, which includes the Red Devils.
The talks with his agent Jorge Mendes are ongoing, and there’s optimism that a deal will be reached for him to sign a new deal as soon as the beginning of 2024.
Correio da Manhã add to the story by claiming that the midfielder has no desire to exit in January but gives United fans a glimmer of hope by asserting the Old Trafford side are the “most committed” to signing the player.
The paper reports that the youngster has “closed the door” to a winter exit and wants to continue his development in the Portuguese league.
The central midfielder believes he hasn’t fulfilled his true potential yet and he is currently at the best place to do so.
It is little wonder as his side are sitting second, one point behind city rivals, Sporting Lisbon and despite a poor Champions League campaign, have qualified for the next stage of the Europa League where they will take on Toulouse.
The Peoples Person has relayed similar information in the past on the Portugal international when Catalan papers suggested that Barcelona believe that his agent, Jorge Mendes, is obsessed with bringing the youngster to the Premier League.
Should such a release clause be agreed in any new deal, it is hard to see any other league being able to afford it.
Therefore, for United fans there is mixed news. The good is that the club lead the race for the player but the bad is any deal would not happen to at least the summer, if even then. Additionally, if any agreement were to take place, it would probably be a massive outlay of around €150m.
Whether INEOS would sanction such a deal is questionable as The Peoples Person relayed that the chemicals company is unwilling to make the mistakes of the past and splurge huge money on players.
No doubt there will be many more twists and turns in the road in any potential deal for Neves in the future.
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