Paris Saint-Germain appear to have overtaken Manchester United in the race to sign Portuguese starlet Joao Neves.
According to Portuguese news outlet Maisfutebol, the Ligue 1 giants have launched a mouth-watering bid that puts them in the driving seat to sign the youngster.
PSG have reportedly launched a player-plus-cash proposal, offering £76 million and a player whose identity is yet to be revealed.
The French giants are hoping to close a deal for the highly-rated talent, which would be a major blow for United.
The Red Devils have been tracking Neves for a while and have already had two bids rejected by Benfica, who are reluctant to sell.
The Portuguese giants are aware that it’ll be difficult to keep Neves with several European juggernauts keen to sign him.
They have made a last-gasp attempt to keep Neves by offering the player an improved contract if he remains at the Estadio da Luz for the 2024/25 season.
Whether that’ll be enough to convince him to pledge his allegiance to the club is unclear, but PSG are on the cusp of beating United to the midfielder.
If PSG’s bid is successful, it will undoubtedly be a blow for United, but they could still profit from Neves’ potential move to the French capital.
United are locked in negotiations to sign Manuel Ugarte, with PSG still mulling over their initial £38m plus add-ons proposal.
The Red Devils are keen to recruit a defensive midfielder to replace Casemiro and have set their sights on Ugarte, who netted the winning penalty against Brazil to send Uruguay to the Copa America semi-final.
PSG are open to selling the midfielder, and a deal could be finalised after the tournament, although the French giants have yet to respond to United’s bid.
The final decision rests with manager Luis Enrique, but recruiting a player of Neves’ quality could convince the Spanish tactician to sanction Ugarte’s exit.
Manchester City are also reportedly interested in Neves, but the Premier League champions haven’t made a formal bid.
