According to a report Spanish outlet in Nacional, Premier League side Manchester United have the chance to sign young midfielder Joao Neves after Barcelona seem to have fallen out of the race.
Neves’ agency is Gestifute which is owned by none other than Jorge Mendes and as per the report, the powerhouse agent has already offered the midfielder’s services to Barcelona.
While Barcelona are very keen to sign Joao Neves Benfica are demanding €80 million for the 19-year-old and there’s no way the Catalans can afford to pay such a steep price. However, Mendes is still eager to take Joao Neves to a powerhouse club and now Manchester United are said to be one of the frontrunners in signing him.
Neves is a product of Benfica’s youth system and the defensive midfielder has already played 72 games for the senior side since making his debut in 2022. He signed an extension last year and his current deal will expire in 2028.
Is Joao Neves really worth €80 million?
Neves is currently valued at €45 million but because he still has four years left on his deal, Benfica can very rightly demand €80 million for the youngster.
Apart from the length of the contract, the youngster is a stellar prodigy who has been a consistent performer for Benfica. This season, he’s featured in 30 league games and has a rating of 7.51 out of 10.
The youngster is a proper defensive midfielder who loves to tackle and go into 1v1 duels but apart from that he can also help in building from the back.
This season, Joao Neves has a passing accuracy of 90% along with a long-ball accuracy of 71%. He’s also created 20 chances, despite being a deep-lying midfielder.
Barcelona are looking to upgrade several positions during the summer window and a player like Joao Neves will be welcomed with open arms simply cause Gavi, Pedri and Frenkie De Jong are all natural central midfielders. However, the Catalans are struggling to pay even €60 million for Bernardo Silva so there’s no way the Catalans can pay €80 million for Neves.
Manchester United will have the chance to sign the 19-year-old and with players like Casemiro, McTominay and Amrabat leaving, Joao Neves is set to become a very important target. Kobbie Mainoo has cemented his place in the middle of the pitch and if United can bring in another talented youngster then their midfield will be sorted for another five to six seasons.
By selling McTominay, Man United should be able to bring in at least €30-35 million which they can then use to sign Joao Neves. Paying a net of €50 million for someone as talented as Joao Neves would be a bargain buy for the Premier League team.
Joao Neves has been brilliant for Benfica this season and given the right circumstances, the youngster has the potential to be a world-class superstar. Barcelona will be eating their heart out but unless they can find the money, the Portugal international is not going to come to Camp Nou, that’s for sure.
