Manchester United have made a bid for their first signing of the summer, as transfer business begins.
The future of Erik ten Hag is still unclear with owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe having already assembled the rest of his backroom staff. Moves for Omar Berrada from rivals Manchester City, Jason Wilcox from Southampton and the long-protracted saga for Newcastle United's Dan Ashworth have been well-publicised.
And despite the managerial position still uncertain, players are already being targeted, with perhaps the first bid of the window from Manchester United.
The Express reports that a £51 million bid for Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves has been tabled, and ultimately, rejected.
ESPN confirmed the interest last month in the player, with Neves' release clause believed to be in the region of around £86m. Though this new report suggests a low-balling from the Red Devils, in FourFourTwo's view, it could prove to be an exciting first move of a negotiation that sees the two European giants meet somewhere in the middle over a transfer.
The Portuguese midfielder is believed to be interested in a move, too. Last season, Neves told Sport TV that his priority was to finish his season strongly, adding, “Then you never know, I can’t promise anything,” in reference to a potential summer move.
Neves was named among FourFourTwo's 50 most exciting teenagers to watch last term, as we noted, “He's physical, carries the ball with purpose and he's able to affect all phases of play, while his line-breaking passes and ability to ghost past players is impressive, too.”
The 19-year-old is valued at €45m by Transfermarkt.
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