Aheed Abrar
SL Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves on Manchester United radar
Manchester United have been in talks with SL Benfica for wonderkid Joao Neves in the ongoing transfer window, according to The Sun.
The Red Devils are interested in acquiring the services of the 18-year-old. To that end, the Primeira Liga outfit know that the Old Trafford side have their eyes on the midfielder and have even held discussions with the club.
However, the Eagles have no plans of parting ways with the Portuguese national this summer. Therefore, United will have to wait a year before trying to get a hold of his signature.
Apart from the Red Devils, Premier League rivals Chelsea also have Neves on their radar. They have already made an approach for the youngster. However, the Blues’ pursuit of Enzo Fernandez in January did not please Benfica and they are reluctant to do business with them.
The Portuguese made his way through the youth ranks at the Lisbon-based club. In the 2022/23 term, the midfielder broke into the Primeira Liga outfit’s senior squad, making 20 appearances in all competitions for the first team.
Neves has been dubbed as the next Bruno Fernandes. The youngster is versatile and is capable of playing in multiple positions in the middle of the park. This season, the Portuguese has featured in every match for the Eagles so far.
At United, we have a manager in Erik ten Hag who has built a pedigree of developing some impressive talent over the years. At Ajax Amsterdam, the Dutch manager oversaw the growth of the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt.
In the previous campaign, Alejandro Garnacho broke onto the scene at the Old Trafford side. Hopefully, the gaffer will be able to bring the best out of the Argentina international.
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Neves has shown immense potential at Benfica in a short span of time. But will the Red Devils win the race for the Portuguese in the coming future? Only time will tell.
