Manchester United still keen on Portugal international after initial €60m bid

There are two areas that Manchester United will prioritise this summer in terms of reinforcements and that’s adding at least one midfielder and a centre-back.

Both departments will be overhauled somewhat fundamentally this summer, with Casemiro, Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof among those to potentially leave the club.

Raphael Varane has already confirmed that he will be departing upon the expiry of his contract on June 30 and Jonny Evans could follow suit. Sofyan Amrabat’s future is also up in the air with United still undecided on whether they will sign him permanently or not.

In midfield, United have been heavily linked with Benfica star Joao Neves, who has emerged as one of Europe’s hottest prospects.

Neves’ performances in the Portuguese capital have also landed him a place in their final 26-man squad for this summer’s European Championship.

Now, it is being reported that after an initial €60m (£50m) offer, United’s interest in Neves remains and the Old Trafford club are keen on reaching an agreement with the Portuguese giants.

That’s according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, via Sport Witness, who say that United are one of the clubs making moves to secure Neves’ signature.

As per the report, offers that have found their way to Benfica’s table only reach half of their €120m asking price – a fee that would trigger Neves’ release clause.

It’s claimed that Benfica were initially planning on extending Neves’ contract and thus also increasing the release clause but as things stand, that figure will remain at €120m.

Neves has four years remaining on his contract at Benfica and his club is in no rush to sell anytime soon but it appears that a significant sale is planned.

It remains to be seen how high United are willing to go but a nine-figure deal is unlikely, with any sum close to that almost entirely wiping the club’s summer budget.