Man Utd set to open talks for midfielder viewed as ‘priority’ for Ratcliffe era

Manchester United are making plans to start negotiations with Benfica for the signing of Joao Neves in the coming weeks, a report has explained.

Neves is named by the Daily Mirror as a ‘priority’ target for Man Utd, whose goal under the stewardship of Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be to recruit more carefully. Investing in players who have the potential to develop further, such as Neves, will be a key aspect of their new policy.

The teenager appears to be a candidate to become the long-term successor in midfield to Casemiro, a player whose arrival at Man Utd was not in line with what Ratcliffe is planning for the future. But for now, Neves belongs to Benfica.

Nevertheless, Man Utd are preparing to open talks with the Portuguese side shortly, the Mirror claims.

Benfica have already made it clear that they will not be entertaining offers for Neves in January, 12 months after they reluctantly sold another midfielder, Enzo Fernandez, to Chelsea midway through a season.

Their manager Roger Schmidt recently said: “We are halfway through the season and we have big goals. We certainly won’t let any of these players leave.

“We need them and no one wants to leave, so there’s no question.”

But Man Utd are aiming to strike in the summer and are ready to get in touch with Benfica well in advance to start arranging a deal for Neves.

The two clubs have already been in talks recently to determine the future of Alvaro Fernandez, who is now set to be loaned from Man Utd to Benfica with an option for a permanent deal.

The next player to move between them could be Neves in the summer, but only if Man Utd can put together an appropriate offer for a highly-rated player who has a €120m (£103.2m) release clause.

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Benfica stand firm for Neves

Benfica have Neves under contract until 2028 after tying him down to updated terms in August.

He has spent his entire senior career with them to date, making a total of 48 appearances, more than half of which have come this season.

Neves is now also a full Portugal international after making his debut for his country back in October.

The future certainly seems bright for the 19-year-old, which could ultimately lead him to a new club outside of Portugal.

If Man Utd were to become his next destination, it would allow him to link up with his compatriot Bruno Fernandes, who has already given his approval to Neves.

“I would love to have him at United, he has top quality,” the Man Utd captain told Sport TV in November. “But it’s Joao’s choice.

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

As Fernandes has alluded to and TEAMtalk has already explained, Man Utd might face plenty of competition for Neves’ signature when the time comes for him to move on from Benfica.