Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly made a breakthrough in their pursuit of Benfica star Joao Neves.
The 19-year-old has been on Manchester United’s radar for several months after his development in Portugal. He has long been one of Erik ten Hag’s midfield targets but the Reds now look set to look elsewhere.
According to Fabrizio Romano, PSG will ‘close’ a deal to bring Neves to the Parc des Princes ‘very soon’. It’s stated that the deal is worth €70million (£59.1m) plus at least one player, thought to be Renato Sanches.
The fee is considerably less than the Portugal international’s release clause of £101m in his contract in Lisbon. Club president Rui Costa recently denied claims that they were standing firm on that fee, though the signing of Sanches pushes the deal closer,
PSG’s push to sign Neves leaves United back to square one in their pursuit of a new midfielder. PSG star Manuel Ugarte, who could be more likely to leave the club following Neves’ arrival, is the likeliest to arrive while interest in Martin Zubimendi has developed in the last week.
United are yet to reach an agreement with PSG for Ugarte, despite personal terms thought to be no issue with the Uruguay international. He only moved to France last summer but has failed to become a regular under Luis Enrique.
As well as a new midfielder, United are also looking to add another centre-back and possible attacker. The future of Jadon Sancho could play a part in their next move in the window amid uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford.
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