Arsenal and Liverpool join Man Utd in €120m wonderkid pursuit

Tom Weber

Updated: 13 Nov 2023 15:40 GMT
4 min read

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool, Mikel Arteta, Arsenal — © ProShots

Arsenal and Liverpool are among the teams keeping an eye on long-time Manchester United target Joao Neves, according to a report.

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The Benfica youngster has emerged as one of Europe's most sought-after midfielders this year. Thrust into the Lisbon giants' side after the record-breaking departure of Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea in January 2023, Neves has since gone from strength to strength and is now a regular fixture for the table-topping Eagles.

Benfica are in the midst of a strange season. They have looked completely out of their depth in the Champions League but beat Ruben Amorim's Sporting CP in a heated derby at the weekend to supplant their rivals at the summit of the domestic league. According to 90min, a host of scouts from European top clubs were in attendance to watch this fixture and look at several interesting prospects.

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Among the people at the Estádio da Luz were scouts from Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd with the objective of closely watching Joao Neves.

Liverpool, Arsenal join Man Utd

It is unsurprising that Man Utd employees were there given that the youngster, who reportedly boasts a €120 million release clause, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford since the summer. Liverpool and Arsenal, however, are names that haven't been mentioned in connection with the 19-year-old all that often.

They certainly liked what they saw as Neves scored in the game, but these aren't the only clubs keen on the youngster. It is asserted that, in total, scouts from more than a dozen sides were at the ground, including from Chelsea and Man City.

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Other players looked at were Antonio Silva and Goncalo Inacio, both linked with Man Utd and Liverpool in recent times, though the latter received his marching orders shortly after half-time with a second yellow.

Pedro Goncalves and Marcus Edwards of Sporting and Florentino Luis of Benfica have also been attracting high-profile interest, with Tottenham and Barcelona named among the suitors, respectively.