Man United ‘keen’ on signing £103m Benfica wonderkid as a priority transfer this summer

Man United ‘keen’ on signing £103m Benfica wonderkid as a priority transfer this summer

Joao Neves remains near the top of Man United’s transfer wishlist.

Manchester United need to bring in several players across a variety of positions this summer.

There’s little strength in depth available to Erik ten Hag, while some current members of the dressing room are also likely to move on.

I’d like to see a midfielder of some capacity signed this time around. Casemiro’s legs are looking a little tired and he may well leave, while I appreciate Scott McTominay’s goals, but he’s not a well-rounded footballer. Christian Eriksen’s future is also up for debate.

The big ticket item is no doubt Joao Neves. The young starlet has been shining for SL Benfica over in his home country of Portugal, with clubs, including United, starting to take note.

All had gone somewhat quiet on the Neves front over the last couple of months, though CaughtOffside have provided an update, claiming that United are ‘keen’ on signing the midfield talent as a priority this summer.

CaughtOffside also adds United have Adrien Rabiot in mind as a lower cost option. The Reds have been linked with the Frenchman before, though he never seemed keen on the move.

Neves, in a midfield alongside Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes, feels like the stuff of dreams. However, you’d suspect the Reds will not find it easy to sign the youngster.

Other clubs will start to show an interest as the summer transfer window approaches and there’s no doubt those sides will likely be better-placed to bring Neves in, both in a financial sense and on-field success. Sadly, that’s just the nature of the situation.

If United can somehow work their way to the front of the queue, I’d be delighted. We’ve always had success when bringing in players from the Portuguese league so we’d have to feel confident about making it work again here