Manchester United are reportedly readying a bid in the region of £100million for Benfica starlet Joao Neves.

The 19-year-old has continued to impress for the Portuguese side this season, having already played 42 times in all competitions. The midfielder has been likened to former PSG orchestrator Marco Verratti given his never-ending engine and eagle eye for a pass in the middle of the park.

 

With Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro seemingly Erik ten Hag’s go-to pairing as of late, questions remain over the futures of both Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay, especially given INEOS’ incoming investment that is expected to see plenty of incomings and outgoings later this year.

The 19-year-old midfielder has become one of the most highly-rated young players in Europe after a breakout year with boyhood club Benfica and earning his first senior international caps for Portugal.

Such fine displays have put the gifted Neves firmly on the radar of several heavyweight clubs across the continent, with Manchester United reportedly keen on his services and having routinely dispatched scouts to watch him in action this season.

United captain Bruno Fernandes further fanned those transfer flames over the weekend, when he revealed that he would “love” to see his Portugal team-mate move to Old Trafford in future.

“I would love to have him at United,” Fernandes told Sport TV in Portugal. “But it’s Joao’s choice… He has top quality.

“He’s a great player but it depends on the coach’s ideas. He will have a great future, in United or somewhere else.”

United are likely to be far from the only high-profile transfer suitor for Neves however, with another compatriot in Bernardo Silva now revealing his desire for Manchester City to trump their cross-city rivals in the battle for the teenage sensation.

According to The Mirror, Neves is likely to attract high-profile attention from some of Europe’s biggest sides this summer, with his name the next from Benfica’s impressive production line of Portuguese talents over the last few years.

However, any club interested in landing Neves is going to have to stump up a serious fee, with transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reporting on Monday that he has a release clause in his current contract worth a cool €120million (£105m) – the same as ex-Benfica team-mate Enzo Fernandez before his switch to Chelsea last year.

Significant changes are expected at Old Trafford this summer, with United players becoming increasingly doubtful that manager Erik ten Hag will remain in charge.

United have appointed Omar Berrada as their new chief executive and are edging closer to naming Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth as their director of football.