All of a sudden, Manchester United were linked with Benfica midfielder João Neves this week.
The story started in the English media, and so far, the Portuguese press couldn’t get confirmation that the Red Devils are actually pursuing the 18-year-old.
Still, the rumour made enough noise for major Lisbon outlets to comment on this potential transfer. And on CMTV, pundit Vitor Pinto brought a couple of interesting points about the situation.
First of all, the director of newspaper Record claimed to have a clear impression that Neves would have a place at Manchester United, given that Erik ten Hag seems to be struggling with his midfield options at the start of the season.
Pinto then made it clear that in case Manchester United really want Neves, they better know they’d have to spend big. The Red Devils may have made big signings this window, but lately seem to be going after cheaper options.
“If the idea is to buy João Neves at a bargain price, then look, stay there with Bruno Fernandes 1.0, because Bruno Fernandes 2.0 will continue to play for Benfica. And there’ll be someone who, at the right time, will value him at the level of João Neves, already 1.0, so yes, paying what João Neves will justify if he continues to evolve. Now, at this point, it doesn’t look like the business is viable.”
The Portuguese media is still to say how much Neves would cost. The fact is that he signed a contract renewal this month, and his release clause stands at €120m.
