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Manchester United are starting to find their feet in the transfer market now that the clubs senior directors are taking shape.
Dan Ashworth has finally arrived at Old Trafford following his move from Newcastle to take on the sporting director role, with Omar Berrada joining as CEO from Manchester City, set to start in just over a week.
Now, Erik ten Hag has secured an extra year on his contract taking him to 2026, with Rene Hake coming in as his assistant manager.
With the management team assembled, the new focus on recruitment can begin to be implemented with Berrada being very clear on the club avoiding over paying for their transfer targets.
Now, only a few days into Ashworth’s time at United, we may be seeing this approach already being implemented.
A month ago, United made a bid for Portuguese wonderkid Joao Neves, offering €60 million for the midfielder.
This was rejected by Benfica, with the Portuguese club holding out for offers over the €100 million mark, with the 19-year-old having a release clause of €120 million. Alongside this, Neves had reportedly rejected attempts by his club to renew his contract – boosting the likelihood of his departure from Portugal.
And today’s local Portuguese newspaper reports that United have reportedly revised their bid, not giving in to the demands of the Primeira Liga club.
Correio de Manha have reported that the Red Devils have now submitted a second bid, valued at €70 million. For those following, this is just €10 million more than their initial offer and still some distance from the player’s release clause.
According to the newspaper, French giants Paris Saint-Germain have put in a big of the same amount. However Benfica have rejected the offers from both United and PSG.
Ultimately, Benfica president Rui Costa has explained that he feels Neves is too vital for the club to be able to part ways with.
So it seems that the Portuguese midfield star is likely to be staying in Lisbon for a little while longer.
Whether this holds true though if another higher offer came in of over their asking price remains to be seen. Neves will potentially have a chance to showcase his talent further on Friday when his country Portugal face France in the UEFA Euros 2024 Quarter Finals.
