Liverpool spy top midfield star Man Utd want to succeed Casemiro as Arsenal also join growing list of suitors

Liverpool and Arsenal have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Benfica midfielder Joao Neves after sending scouts to monitor him, according to reports.

Neves has been making a name for himself throughout 2023, a year in which he has reached the Benfica first team. Now established as a first-team regular already at the age of just 19, he has been catching the attention of Man Utd.

Sooner or later, the Red Devils will require a long-term successor to Casemiro in defensive midfield. With that in mind, Neves is someone they are paying close attention to.

However, TEAMtalk recently revealed that Man Utd are not alone in the race to sign Neves, who also has admirers at Chelsea and in the Saudi Pro League.

Now, 90min has added that Liverpool and Arsenal scouts were also watching Neves in action for Benfica on Sunday, when he scored against Sporting.

Neves’ goal was an equaliser in the 94th minute and, spectacularly, teammate Casper Tengstedt then completed the comeback to clinch a 2-1 win three minutes later.

It was the first time this season that Neves has scored for Roger Schmidt’s side, on his 18th appearance across all competitions.

IN DEPTH: Who is Man Utd target Joao Neves – A deep dive into the potential Casemiro successor

The report from 90min highlights a plethora of clubs who had officials in attendance at the match, but speaking specifically of Neves, it is implied that Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal were the parties primarily interested in seeing how he got on.

In addition to domestic duties, the teenager has been ever present in Benfica’s Champions League campaign so far this season, indicating the pedigree he is already building.

Where next for Neves?

Benfica still have their academy graduate – who made his senior international debut for Portugal last month and has been included in the squad again for the November break – under contract until 2028.

However, his list of admirers is growing constantly. The links with Liverpool are interesting because many still believe they need to add a young defensive midfielder to their squad to complete their rebuild of the department.

Of the four midfielders they signed in the summer, the only one who naturally operates in a holding role is Wataru Endo, who was never brought in as a long-term solution since he is 30.

Meanwhile, there are doubts about the Arsenal future of Thomas Partey, which could open up another vacancy in their midfield after his regular starting colleague from last season, Granit Xhaka, also left in the summer.

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