Report: Man United scouting £103m player who models his game on Andres Iniesta, deal is ‘open’
Posted By Joe E
May 8, 2024
10:18 am
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Manchester United are scouting a £103m player who models his game on Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta, according to a recent report.
The Red Devils have endured an underwhelming season and Erik ten Hag has come under intense scrutiny.
United currently reside in eighth place and could miss out on European football, which would be disastrous for their transfer budget.
Though, they do still have an FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City to play, which is another avenue to the Europa League.
With that said, it’s come to light that they are eyeing a move for a highly-rated midfielder.
READ MORE: Chelsea join Man United in race to sign £60m World Cup winner with 15 goal involvements this season
Manchester United scouting Joao Neves
Manchester United are scouting Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, according to Fabrizio Romano, via Caught Offside.
Neves has a £103m release clause and it was previously claimed that his teammate Antonio Silva is more likely to be the big sale, but that is not Romano’s understanding.
“Reports in Portugal say that (Antonio) Silva is more likely to be Benfica’s big sale, rather than Neves, but my understanding is that it’s open and depends on the proposals that come in,” Romano said.
READ MORE: £25m Inter Millan player is open to joining Manchester United this summer
Joao Neves statistics
Neves’ statistics make for very impressive reading.
According to FBref data, the 19-year-old ranks in the top two per cent for passes attempted compared to his positional peers around Europe.
Further, he sits in the top eight per cent for pass completion rate, evincing his ability to dictate play and be the metronome for Benfica.
He’s exactly the type of player United need and is of a similar profile to previous rumoured target Frenkie de Jong.
READ MORE: Chelsea must regret selling £50m-rated ‘unbelievable’ player Manchester United want to sign