Manchester United have suffered a big blow in the race to sign Portuguese starlet Joao Neves from SL Benfica.
Joao Neves has been attracting interest from those at Manchester United, Manchester City, as well as PSG and Borussia Dortmund, but these clubs have received a firm stance on the midfielder’s situation.
According to a report from Portuguese outlet O Jogo, Benfica are keen to hold onto the midfielder until 2025 and seems unwilling to sell until then.
After the Portuguese side sold Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for over £100 million, the Portuguese side reportedly value the midfielder similarly to the Argentine.
Benfica’s stance
The Portuguese giants believe the midfielder will only get better and Rui Costa, Benfica’s president, will hold a hard-line stance of not for sale until the end of the 2024-2025 season.
The midfielder plays as the deepest lying playmaker but at just 5 feet 7 inches tall, he is certainly not the physically dominant midfielder that the Red Devils may well be looking for to replace Casemiro.
The midfielder’s release clause which is valued at around £103 million means that the Portuguese side have security over the 19-year-old’s future and will not sell him next summer unless that over-exorbitant release clause is met.
United’s need for Neves
Despite the midfielder being relatively small in stature, his playstyle is exactly the kind of style that United need from midfield.
The 19-year-old excels at keeping the ball and doing superbly well under pressure, sort of in the mould of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong, if you like.
The midfielder’s price is prohibitive and it seems unlikely that United would trigger the 9-figure clause in his contract.
Neves has already made his debut for Portugal so the hope may well be that United captain Bruno Fernandes could get in his ear about joining Erik ten Hag’s side.
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