Man United have been long-term admirers of the 19-year-old and were tipped to sign him as a successor to Casemiro, whose future is uncertain at Old Trafford.
Manchester United and Manchester City have been dealt a blow in their pursuit for Joao Neves, according to reports in Portugal. The Reds have reportedly had two approaches rebuffed by Benfica, an opening bid of £51million and a second bid worth £59m earlier this month.
City, meanwhile, are also credited with an interest but are not thought to have made a bid for Neves’ services yet. Nonetheless, the talented youngster is expected to secure a big-money move this window after breaking into Benfica‘s first team last season.
He has a release clause worth around €120m (£100m). With United also interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain‘s Manuel Ugarte, that leaves the door open for the French giants to sign the midfielder.
They have made Neves a priority signing despite seeing a bid rejected. It now appears that the French giants are close to striking a deal.
An article about a newspaper report on MEN Sport writes:
“PSG have made Joao Neves a priority for the new season and want to complete a deal in the next days. They have submitted a new offer of €70m, though it is not clear if that includes add-ons.”
“However, both clubs are close to an agreement. The player sees a change of scenery with good eyes and is currently on holiday, waiting for instructions from super agent Jorge Mendes. Benfica and president Rui Costa began by informing those interested that he would only leave if his €120m release clause was triggered. However, no club came close to this fee and the club have lowered the asking price.”
“As it stands, nothing has been agreed yet but negotiations have advanced [with PSG]. Coach Luis Enrique has asked Portuguese sporting director Luis Campos to speed up the process because he wants to have players at his disposal, as soon as possible. The young Benfica man welcomes the move to Paris because he can receive a salary three or four times higher than what he currently earns at Estadio da Luz – €1m gross per season.”
Benfica presented him a new proposal a few months ago, doubling his salary, but he is understood to have refused fresh terms. It is believed that, at this time, he wants an improvement on the wages he currently earns.
The newspaper adds that;
“Joao Neves is very close from moving to Paris Saint-Germain. The midfielder prefers the French champions to Manchester United according to information collected by Record.”
“Negotiations between Benfica and PSG have advanced in the last hours. Even though they are not willing to offer beyond €70m, Rui Costa is hopeful of securing a better deal – although he acknowledges that it will be difficult to reach the €120m of Neves’ release clause.”
