Manchester United have been handed a blow in their pursuit of Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves as he has given the green light to join Paris Saint-Germain.
The Red Devils have been long-term admirers of the 19-year-old and have already made two bids for the highly-rated star.
They recently proposed to pay £59 million for Neves which was immediately turned down by Benfica.
PSG have also shown interest in the youngster. Their recent offer of £76m has not changed Benfica’s resolve.
The Primeira Liga giants are eyeing more than £84m to part ways with their prized asset during the transfer window.
RMC Sport claims Neves ‘wants to leave’ Benfica and ‘join’ the French champions. The onus is now on the clubs to find a suitable agreement for the transfer.
Man Utd look likely to miss out on Neves
Neves is one of the most sought-after young midfielders in European football. He was brilliant for Benfica with a passing accuracy of 90 percent last season..
The young defensive midfielder also won six duels and two tackles per league game with 6.4 ball recoveries. He completed 62 percent of his take-ons.
Neves would be a good long-term replacement for Casemiro at Old Trafford, but the Red Devils are currently being priced out of a potential transfer deal.
With a limited budget, they can’t afford to spend over the odds. They look likely to miss out on Neves with PSG pushing for his transfer.
Neves, who has been described as an ‘excellent‘ player by Bruno Fernandes, has given the go-ahead to join them. His arrival at Parc des Princes could see another midfielder sold.
United are interested in Manuel Ugarte. Their chances of signing him could be greatly boosted by Neves’ move to PSG in the near future.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com.
