Manchester United have been deemed ‘frontrunners’ in the race for Benfica’s highly-rated prospect Joao Neves, as per O Jogo cited by Sport Witness.
Amidst interest from numerous European giants, including Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona, Newcastle United and the Red Devils, the Portuguese outfit are doing all they can to keep Neves at the Estadio da Luz long-term.
Their efforts include offering the 19-year-old, who is tied to the club until 2028 as it stands, a new lucrative pay package through a contract extension, in which Benfica would hope to raise his release clause from €120 million to €150m.
Neves almost certain to move on from Benfica
President Rui Costa and the board are resigned to losing Neves at some point in the coming years, however, there are hopes of keeping him for another season so long as they can fend off approaches from interested sides.
It remains to be seen whether United will ignite a pursuit for the sought-after midfielder next summer. A statement signing would certainly kickstart Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership on a positive note, but any bidding war could easily see his fee rise above an unfeasible amount.
