It’s been fifteen days since the summer transfer window closed, and now we already have a first report of Manchester United being willing to sign a Benfica player.
Portuguese newspaper O Jogo has a story today saying José Mourinho is very ‘attentive’ to the Eagles’ winger Andrija Zivkovic.
They claim that Manchester United have been scouting all of Benfica’s game lately, which is true, and the reports they have from Zivkovic’s performances have been quite positive.
Playing both on the right as on the left, the Serbian international has been one of Benfica’s best players this season, and the newspaper claims that his assist in the Champions League game against CSKA this week left a good impression on the Manchester United scouts.
Zivkovic joined Benfica on a free from Partizan last summer. He didn’t take long to find a spot in the Portuguese team, and made 11 assists in 24 games last season.
Manchester United are said to have competition, and O Jogo takes claims from the British press reporting Arsenal’s interest to prove that. His release clause, as of any other Benfica player, is pretty high: €60m. And as we all know, the club wouldn’t let him leave for much less than that.
The level of Manchester United scouting in Portugal is now so high, and has been for a while, that it’s impossible to garner any real hints from it. Benfica and several other Portuguese clubs are scouted every single week, and with the Lisbon side being in Manchester United’s Champions League group, that’s only likely to increase… with perhaps an extra match scout attending.
It will be no coincidence Zivkovic was first rumoured as a target of the scouting in England, no doubt providing some ‘inspiration’ for O Jogo.
