Benfica insist that they have not held talks with Premier League giants Manchester United about a potential deal for their £104 million midfield maestro Joao Neves, via a statement reported by Fabrizio Romano.
As Alvaro Fernandez sealed his move to the Portuguese powerhouses over the weekend, an agreement between Benfica and Manchester United paved the way for yet more speculation regarding the future of one Joao Neves.
Surely, after agreeing to send Fernandez to Lisbon, Man United had done their relationship with the Benfica bosses no harm, right? Was this the Red Devils laying the ground work for a ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ sort of situation, with Neves one of the club’s leading midfield targets?
Well, according to Benfica, nothing could be further from the truth.
Not only have they not held any discussions with the Old Trafford outfit, they are not planning to either.
Manchester United love Benfica’s Joao Neves
“Benfica denies the existence of any right of preference over Joao Neves,” the statement reads, provided by Romano on his X page. “Under no circumstances has Benfica started talks with Manchester United or any other club about Joao.
“Nor does it intend to do so.”
Joao Neves got his big break at Benfica following the departure of World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea 12 months ago.
Funnily enough, his £104 million release clause may force Man United to stump up an almost identical fee to their London-based Premier League rivals, with Benfica showing little interest in letting Neves go for a penny less than that eye-watering sum.
The Mirror believe that Man United intend to open discussions sooner rather than later, the three-time Portugal international a priority at the start of the INEOS era, though no one at Old Trafford should expect Benfica to play ball.
Portugal international is a Red Devils target
“The players make a leap every year,” Benfica coach Roger Schmidt tells Sportschau, the Red Devils scouting not only Neves but centre-back Antonio Silva too.
“This is an important part of the club’s DNA. Players like Antonio Silva and Joao Neves, who have just come through the youth ranks and are now first-team players for me, weren’t even known when I arrived here in 2022.
“Perhaps there is no club in Europe that has the same success in training world-class players.”
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