Manchester United have reportedly held initial talks with SL Benfica to sign Joao Neves in order to bolster their engine room, as per The Sun.
After making his senior debut last year, the 18-year-old has managed to establish himself as a key member in The Eagles’ first eleven in recent times.
It seems the youngster’s performances in the Portuguese top-flight have attracted the attention of Erik ten Hag’s side so they have decided to register a firm interest in signing him.
According to the report by The Sun, Man Utd are keen on acquiring Neves’ service and they have already held initial talks with Benfica to learn about the details of purchasing him.
However, the report claims that the Portuguese giants don’t want to let their star man leave this summer so United will need to wait until the end of this season to acquire the midfielder’s service. But, the report says that Benfica may opt to cash-in on Neves in January if they fail to get past the Champions League group stage round.
Neves to Man Utd
The Sun also states that Chelsea are plotting a swoop for Neves as well but Benfica are annoyed with the Blues at the moment after they were forced to sell Enzo Fernández to the West London club last winter so, they don’t want to engage in any negotiation with Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Therefore, Man Utd can get a clear pathway to sign Neves in the upcoming transfer window.
The youngster is ‘dubbed Bruno Fernandes 2.0’ by The Sun so this suggests how talented the youngster is. Neves is a box-to-box midfielder, he is technically sound, good in the air, can play threading passes between the lines, has an eye for long-range passing and can contribute defensively as well.
So, the Portuguese possesses the necessary attributes to play in Ten Hag’s possession-based style of football. Therefore, he would be a great signing for United if they eventually manage to secure his signature.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether Man Utd can eventually manage to lure Neves – valued at around £9m by Transfermarkt – to Old Trafford over the coming months to bolster their engine room.
