Manchester United have reportedly made ‘exploratory contacts’ with Benfica over teenage starlet Joao Neves, as per Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness).
It comes after the Red Devils, along with Liverpool, sent their scouts to watch the midfielder in action during the Derby de Lisboa on November 12 and they would’ve been impressed with what they saw; Neves inspired an injury-time comeback after netting a 94th-minute equaliser before Casper Tengstedt doubled Benfica’s lead to secure a 2-1 victory over their longtime rivals.
Neves has quickly become the talk of the town for his scintillating efforts, so much so that he was granted his senior Portugal debut by Roberto Martinez on October 16.
Bruno Fernandes weighed in on United’s reported interest over the international break, claiming he’d “love” to have Neves by his side because “he has quality and will have a bright future”.
Similarly, Manchester City’s playmaker Bernardo Silva hinted at a potential tug-of-war between the two Premier League rivals after saying he’d “make a move for him to go to Manchester City, if I can”.
Benfica set eye-watering release clause for Neves
Alas, all interested parties will have to hang fire in their pursuit of the highly-rated prospect, as Benfica hold no intention of allowing him to leave mid-season. Neves’ contract contains a release clause similar to that of Enzo Fernandez’s – £105 million.
Should his development continue the upward trajectory it’s on, teams will be lining up to break the bank for his signature next summer.
