Man Utd get hope of CUT-PRICE deal as Joao Neves transfer fee agreed

Robin Bairner

31 Jul 2024 14:30 BST
3 min read

Manchester United could finally land PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte – thanks to the Ligue 1 champions signing Joao Neves for a price that was smaller than initially thought.

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Neves was a one-time Man Utd target, but the Old Trafford club refused to match the €120 million release fee Benfica were demanding and instead turned their attentions to Uruguay international Ugarte, who had become surplus to requirements at PSG.

The French side, though, have been asking for a fee in the region of €70m for the former Sporting CP star to leave for Old Trafford.

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Current ETV

João Neves

DM (C)

Benfica

João Neves

DM (C)

Benfica

ETV Range

€50M - €83.3M

This price would have been partially based around what PSG were expecting to pay for Neves, who is expected to be Ugarte’s midfield replacement.

The club from the French capital, meanwhile, has agreed a deal worth a total of €70m for the 19-year-old Portugal international.

PSG getting Joao Neves for a bargain price

According to A Bola, PSG will pay just €60m up front for Neves, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €66m, suggesting that the Ligue 1 side are getting an excellent deal.

Renato Sanches will join Benfica on loan as part of the deal, but he has long been surplus to requirements at Parc des Prince and it will come as a relief to the wage budget that he has been moved on.

© IMAGO - Manuel Ugarte is a Man Utd target

These factors are positive for Man Utd.

PSG do not appear to be counting on Ugarte, and while they are not about to sell him for a bargain price, there is more scope to them giving United a break on the deal having brokered a better deal than they might have imagined was possible for Joao Neves.

Ugarte’s ETV is around €41.8m, with the top end of his estimate at just short of €52m, and it may be that Man Utd are able to leverage a deal around that price in a transfer that could leave everyone happy.