Manchester United have made an improved bid to sign Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, according to Portuguese publication Corrieo da Manha (page 12).
The Red Devils are aiming to sign a marquee defensive midfielder this summer and have recently been linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte.
However, the club are keeping their options open and have reportedly made an offer worth £59 million to sign Neves from Benfica.
The Portuguese outfit immediately turned down the proposal. It was the second bid from United, having previously offered £51m to sign the wonderkid.
Benfica president Rui Costa has been reluctant to sell Neves for less than the £102m release clause, but he has not ruled out a possible compromise.
Neves would be a better signing than Ugarte for United
United are currently evaluating their holding midfield targets. Ugarte has given the green light for a transfer, but the club are yet to make a formal transfer bid.
The Red Devils have already made a couple of verbal proposals for Neves, who would be a better acquisition than Ugarte.
Neves and Ugarte had a 90 and 91 percent passing accuracy in their respective leagues last season.
Both are strong when it comes to tackling and making ball recoveries. However, Ugarte was dribbled past almost two times more than Neves.
Ugarte can be erratic at times. Neves is more composed in his positioning.
Bruno Fernandes has described Neves as an ‘excellent‘ player. If United can persuade Benfica to sell him, he would be a statement signing.
Stats from Sofascore.com.
