In the transfer market since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, Manchester United has had many more misses than hits. Despite spending well over £1 billion, the team has only won four major titles, including two EFL Cups, an FA Cup, and a Europa League.

Though Bruno Fernandes, the club captain, was signed by United in 2020 for an initial £46.5 million from Sporting Clube de Portugal, it is perhaps the club’s best acquisition of the past ten years.

Since joining the Premier League’s biggest clubs, the Portuguese superstar has made 202 appearances in all competitions, tallying 68 goals and 57 assists.

The Red Devils intend to return to the Portuguese market in search of another gem in an attempt to duplicate this success.

Man United’s transfer plans for January

Joao Neves has become a sensation in Portugal with Benfica, the reigning Primeira Liga champions. After Enzo Fernandez left for Chelsea in January of last year, the 19-year-old started working out with the first team of the Lisbon-based club. He has made 38 appearances under head coach Roger Schmidt and was named the league’s September Midfielder of the Month.

After closely monitoring the young player, most notably during the weekend’s Lisbon derby where he netted an equalizer in the 94th minute before Casper Tengstedt grabbed the win three minutes later, Manchester United is reportedly now convinced about signing Neves before the January transfer window opens.

According to a number of publications, Neves has a £105 million release clause that the Red Devils may exercise. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and company could therefore be able to smash the club record for transfers, which stands at £93.2 million for Paul Pogba.

Neves made his debut for the Portugal national team last month, following an encouraging start to the campaign, and supporters even dubbed him the “next Bruno Fernandes”. Jacek Kulig, a football scout, referred to the young midfield player as a “warrior” for his performance against Porto in September.