Exclusive: “Very expensive” – Major Man United target could be out of reach this summer

This summer’s transfer window could be one of the most important that Man United have had in years.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe now has responsibility for the football side of the business, and the upcoming window will be the first since his deal with the Red Devils was ratified.

It’s therefore imperative that he and his staff get their business spot on in all aspects ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

It isn’t known at this stage whether Erik ten Hag will remain as manager, but that’s one of many decisions that the INEOS founder will need to make swiftly after the end of the current season.

Joao Neves could be too expensive for Man United

One area where Man United are clearly lacking is with regards to the creativity in midfield and their ability to consistently feed the front men.

That’s perhaps why they continue to scout highly-rated Benfica ace, Joao Neves, however, despite United’s interest, the player’s hefty price tag could put him out of reach.

“I told you multiple times already – in September, in October, in November – that Man United scouts have been regularly following Joao Neves and they will keep following him,” Fabrizio Romano said to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing.

“They were at Benfica’s last game and they will return again in the final months of the season. Now, with crucial games coming up, Man United will follow the player closely, waiting for the decision on how much they want to invest in the midfielder – but he will be expensive.

“His clause is now €120m but Benfica will try to put a higher clause into his contract. In any case, he’s going to be a very expensive player.”

Record (h/t Goal) suggest that United are willing to break the bank for the player, but they have only allocated €100m for his services.

That’s clearly not going to be enough to prise him from the Portuguese giants, and the question that United perhaps need to pose themselves is do they get involved in a potentially tricky and long-winded negotiation, or decide to pursue other targets.

Given that the youngster does have a bright future in the game, there’s some logic to the Red Devils wanting to pair him with countryman, Bruno Fernandes.

The mixture of youth and experience, creativity and hard work would be just what’s needed to help shore up the middle of the park and stop United from being so easy to play against in those areas.