For the last couple of months, Manchester United have been tracking the progress of Benfica midfielder João Neves.
The youngster has been hyped a lot in his home country, and that has led to a lot of talk about an early move to the Premier League, where the Red Devils are just one of many clubs scouting him.
Even dubbed the second coming of Bruno Fernandes, Neves has now fully convinced Manchester United that they should move for him, according to Record.
The newspaper explain on Wednesday that the 19-year-old is no longer just a promising midfielder, but is a fully-fledged player who can contribute consistently.
They immediately mention Manchester United, who have ‘closely followed’ his performances this season and are ‘already convinced’ that he will be an asset to Erik ten Hag, who needs some more reinforcements to turn things around at Old Trafford.
It’s added that the Red Devils are ‘not letting go’ of him, sending scouts over for ‘constant observations’, most recently in the derby against Sporting CP, where Neves was ‘the star of the game’.
Juventus are also interested, but it’s explained that, to date, no offers have reached the Benfica offices, although it ‘cannot be ruled out’ that will happen in January.
Benfica, down their end, are in ‘no rush to sell’, and the player himself is in ‘no rush to leave’ the club he has supported since he was a child.
For the time being, the priority is to ‘not lose’ him to a club like Manchester United, and they know they are at least protected by a €100m release clause, which came after the player renewed his contract last summer.
