Portuguese side Benfica seem really concerned about the interest that João Neves has been drawing from Manchester United and others.
Newspaper O Jogo today features a story claiming the Eagles are working to take big measures to keep the player happy at the club.
Neves is already protected by a €120m release clause in a contract until 2028. That doesn’t seem enough, though, as the Eagles now plan to offer him a new deal, giving him a pay raise and raising the clause to €150m.
Speaking of interested parties, O Jogo says Manchester United are the ‘frontrunners’ for the signing, although there’s the competition from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Barcelona.
Benfica know it is inevitable that they will need to sell Neves at some point, but president Rui Costa wants to keep him at the club for at least another season.
For now, there’s no information on Manchester United’s moves to get the signing done, as no bids have been reported, despite the certainty from the local media that the Red Devils are those with the biggest interest.
