Joao Neves’ talent is captivating many big teams in Europe, and it would not be surprising if MU is willing to pay 100 million Euro to recruit him.
Benfica’s recent results in developing young talent are almost unrivaled in European football. This is work that everyone at the club is passionate about, especially Rodrigo Magalhaes, the technical head in the academy.
” [I want] to have at least six or seven players who are regulars in the first team, win the Champions League and then one, two or three of them win the Ballon d’Or,” Magalhaes said in an interview. interviewed with The Athletic in February.
The team under the guidance of Roger Schmidt was not too far away from winning the European title last season. The unexpected journey to the quarterfinals of the Champions League has attracted the attention of fans, with the brilliance of Goncalo Ramos, Florentino Luis and Goncalo Guedes.
Ramos moved to Paris Saint-Germain afterwards. He cannot refuse the opportunity to move to a bigger club with an attractive salary, as Enzo Fernandez, Darwin Nunez, Ruben Dias, Joao Felix and Ederson previously did.
Benfica creates future superstars, but the reality is that they cannot retain them for long. Europe’s elite are now watching the Portuguese champion more regularly than ever, to be first in line for the next magical talent.
That person now appears to be Joao Neves, who is said to have increased his release clause to €100m (£109m/$88m) in the summer. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the 19-year-old has attracted the attention of Manchester United, with rumors that the Premier League top team are planning a January move…
Neves was born in the small Portuguese town of Tavira in September 2004 and five years later, he began his football journey at the Algarve training center. When he was eight years old, Neves joined Casa Benfica Tavira, a subsidiary of Benfica, where his father worked as a coach.
During that process, Ramos was also undergoing training at the same time and they became close friends at the Benfica training center in Faro. Neves eventually made his debut for Benfica’s U15 side in 2017, despite being just 13 years old, and he signed his first contract with the club’s academy the following October.
Benfica knew they had another star on their hands, and his first professional contract was signed in 2020. Neves’ influence in the UEFA Youth League 2021-2022 season has propelled him up the ladder to professional football, as he appeared in seven games as Benfica won the competition for the first time. Neves was also called up to the Portuguese U19 team that season and participated in two knockout matches in the Euro qualifiers.