According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United have identified Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves as a transfer target for next summer.
The 19-year-old became a regular starter for Benfica in the final weeks of last season and he has continued to remain a key player for the Portuguese giants.
His progress has caught the eye of Man United, and Plettenberg reports that the teenager has been on the list of the Premier League club for a long time.
United consider him as a potential transfer target for the summer, but there are other top clubs also monitoring the midfielder.
Huge potential
Neves has the ability to play from the defensive and central midfield positions, but he has generally operated from the no.6 role.
In the current campaign, the teenager has been hugely consistent for Benfica. He has completed 90% of his passes while winning 1.5 tackles and 5.5 duels per game. He has lost possession on just 6.8 occasions per league appearance.
Neves has shown plenty of maturity at such a young age and he has all the traits to become an elite defensive midfielder in the long run. United seem interested in signing him, but he may not come on the cheap next summer.
The midfielder is currently protected by a £103 million release clause in his contract and Benfica could look for a package close to that figure to consider his sale. With the anticipated competition, United will have to spend big.
Neves could be seen as a successor to Casemiro at United. The Brazilian had a perfect debut season at United, but he has shown signs of regression in the early part of this season and was substituted at half-time versus Brentford.
There are suggestions that the experienced ace could be dropped from the line-up after the international break. A formal approach for Neves next summer could lead to serious question marks over Casemiro’s future at the club.
