Apart from the negotiations for the transfers of Victor Lindelof and Nelson Semedo, it seems that Benfica and Manchester United are in talks for another move between the clubs.
Both A Bola and O Jogo are breaking the news today by saying the Portuguese club want to sign Joel Pereira at the end of the season.
The Manchester United loanee is currently at Belenenses, and his good performances in the Portuguese league have attracted the attention from the Eagles.
The papers claim that the deal has nothing to do with Lindelof or Semedo, so it won’t depend on the others to go through.
It’s still not said how much would Benfica pay for the player, or if the deal would be a loan, an option to buy or a permanent move.
A Bola managed to have a quick chat with Pereira, but they didn’t mention Benfica’s interest.
They say that Manchester United have watched all of the goalkeeper’s games since he joined Belenenses, and the 20-year-old is pretty happy for that: “It’s good to know that Man United have been following my matches at Belenenses. And, yes, they always call me after to evaluate my performance. My focus is 100% at Belenenses and I hope I can match the expectations.”
Despite having Portuguese citizenship, Pereira was born in Switzerland and never lived in Portugal before this loan spell. It’s the first time for him: “It’s been very good. I always wanted to play in Portugal and for a club with the size of Belenenses. It’s something that also contributes to my affirmation in Portuguese football.”
Asked about who’s his football idol, he says: “Van der Sar! I’ve always admired him and since I was a boy I watched lots of his videos. He’s always been my inspiration.”
