Romano drops Joao Neves BOMB on Man Utd

Tom Weber

Updated: 8 Apr 2024 15:51 BST
4 min read

Manchester United are unlikely to sign Joao Neves this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

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The Benfica midfielder has emerged as one of Europe's most sought-after youngsters over the past 12 months after being thrust into the first team following Enzo Fernandez's then-British record transfer to Chelsea.

Neves did an admirable job last season and has since gone on to become a key cog in the Lisbon giants' side under Roger Schmidt despite his tender years. The 19-year-old is now a five-time senior Portugal international and seems destined for a move to one of Europe's biggest sides.

Neves won't come cheap, however, as the youngster has a €120 million release clause in his contract and it is unlikely that Benfica would settle for a fee below €100m. This, coupled with the fact that there are still some concerns over his ability to play at the very highest level, means that signing Neves will be a major risk this summer.

As far as Man Utd are concerned, this risk appears to be too big.

Romano on Neves

According to Fabrizio Romano, who previously confirmed that the Red Devils are scouting Neves, a move to Old Trafford is unlikely this summer despite 'agent' Bruno Fernandes recently waxing lyrical about the teenager.

In fact, Man Utd may not sign a midfielder at all this summer despite the potential departures of Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Sofyan Amrabat. The Italian transfer expert has revealed that the Red Devils moving for a midfielder will depend entirely on potential sales and the leftover budget after more important positions such as centre-back, left-back and striker have been reinforced.

"A player like Joao Neves at Benfica is a player they love because they have been scouting him for months," Romano told The United Stand, "they believe he is going to be a fantastic player in the future, but he is a really expensive one. So, I'm not sure Man Utd will have that kind of budget to go there, pay the clause and sign the player from Benfica."