£103m Manchester United target drops transfer bombshell, hinting at becoming first Red Devils summer signing: report

Manchester United's manager Erik Ten Hag prior to kick off during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Newport County and Manchester United at Rodney Parade on January 28, 2024 in Newport, Wales.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United are interested in a potentially huge summer signing – who has confirmed that he could be on the move.

Things are beginning to fall into place for the Red Devils ahead of the first summer with Sir Jim Ratcliffe at the helm. Omar Berrada has been brought in from rivals Manchester City, while Newcastle United transfer guru Dan Ashworth is set to move to the club next. 

And with an expected increase in transfer funds this summer, a nine-figure move could be on the cards. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe Manchester United

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has arrived at Old Trafford  (Image credit: Getty Images)

Benfica superstar midfielder Joao Neves has told Sport TV in his native Portugal that his priority is to finish his season strongly, adding, “Then you never know, I can’t promise anything,” in reference to a potential summer move.

Neves has been consistently linked with a move to the 20-time English champions, with his club putting out an extraordinary statement last month to deny that he was going to leave the Primeira Liga. With interest established, however, Neves' latest comments are the biggest indication yet that he may move this summer.

The starlet has a £103 million release clause, placing him in the same bracket as Chelsea-bound Enzo Fernandez, who moved from River Plate in the summer of 2022 before completing a blockbuster switch to west London off the back of a successful World Cup in Qatar with Argentina. 

Manchester United target Joao Neves of SL Benfica in action during the Liga Portugal Betclic match between SL Benfica and CF Estrela da Amadora at Estadio da Luz on August 19, 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

Joao Neves is a major target for Premier League sides (Image credit: Getty Images)

Neves was named among FourFourTwo's 50 most exciting teenagers to watch this season, 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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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.