Man Utd eye Benfica youngster as part of midfield refresh
Manchester United are eyeing up a summer deal for Benfica youngster Joao Neves as they look to refresh their midfield, reports the Mirror.
United are set to be active in the window at the end of the season as they seek to revamp their squad in a key area of the pitch.
Both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are the wrong side of 30 now and United are aware they'll need bring in fresh blood to remain competitive.
And Neves has been identified as a potential addition to the midfield as he continues to shine under Roger Schmidt for Benfica.
Neves only turned 19 back in September and is reported to have a €120m release clause in his contract, though United will feel confident they can negotiate a lower fee for the Portugese star.
🇵🇹 Joao Neves' statistically calculated WhoScored characteristics:
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) January 14, 2024
✅ Strengths
🟢 Passing
🟢 Aerial duels
🟢 Tackling
🟢 Blocking the ball
🟢 Ball interception
❌ Weaknesses
𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 pic.twitter.com/2GWOGOF9wb
The teenager is unlikely to leave Benfica this month but United will need to put in the groundwork sooner rather than later if they are to win the race to sign one of Europe's hottest prospects.
Neves has returned a WhoScored rating of 7.32 in Liga Portugal this season, that the best of all central midfielders in the division.