Who is Joao Neves? £100m star Benfica made bullish Manchester United transfer statement over
The lowdown on Manchester United-linked midfielder Joao Neves, who has enjoyed an incredible rise to stardom at Benfica over the last 12 months
Benfica have insisted highly-rated midfielder Joao Neves is not for sale as the 19-year-old continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United.
In the aftermath of Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquiring a 25 per cent stake in the Reds last month, Neves has, alongside a string of other European talent, been linked with a club-record move to Old Trafford.
Reports in the national media had name-checked Neves, who reportedly has a £103 million release clause, as someone who could become one of the first signings of the Ratcliffe era in the coming months.
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However, the Portuguese giants were quick to pour cold water on talk of an imminent exit for their latest academy graduate, insisting the club have held no talks with United - or any other side for that matter - about the sale of Neves.
On Tuesday, a club statement read: "Benfica denies the existence of any right of preference over its player Joao Neves. Under no circumstances did Benfica enter into talks with Manchester United or any other club about this player - nor does it intend to do so. Any information that points in another direction is false."
But in the wake of such a bullish statement, who is the overseas starlet being linked with a mega-money move to the Premier League?
Who is Joao Neves?
Neves is a 19-year-old defensive midfielder who plays for Benfica and the Portugal national team.
Neves is a graduate of the Eagles' illustrious academy, with whom he won the UEFA Youth League with in the 2021-2022 season. The following campaign, the midfielder made his senior debut for Benfica and helped fill the void left by Enzo Fernandez's £105m transfer to Chelsea in January 2023.
After 11 substitute appearances in Liga Portugal, April saw Neves truly announce his arrival at senior level as he made six consecutive starts and helped Roger Schmidt's side claim a first league title triumph in four years.
Since his breakthrough, Neves has gone from strength to strength and earned a status as a key member of Benfica's push for a record 39th league title. Across all competitions this season, he has started 24 games - including all six of Benfica's Champions League campaign.
Neves, who was born on the south coast of Portugal, was recently rewarded for his fine form for Benfica, both domestically and on the continent, with Portugal manager Roberto Martinez calling him up for October's European qualifiers against Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In total, he has three caps for the Euro 2016 winners.
What position does Joao Neves play?
In his time with Benfica's first team, Neves has played in two similar positions: defensive and central midfield.
However, with the Eagles almost usually lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Schmidt, Neves is primarily always deployed on the left side of a two-man engine room. Despite standing at 5 ft 9 tall, the 19-year-old has gained a reputation as one of Liga Portugal's fiercest tacklers and made a league-high 33 successful tackles already this campaign. But Neves' skill set isn't limited to just defensive actions though, with the No.87 having tallied three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in 17 league outings this season.
Speaking after Neves' call-up to the Portugal national team back in October 2023, Barcelona forward Joao Felix heaped praise on the ability of the midfielder, who was in the same academy class as his younger brother, and the maturity of his game.
"I've known Neves for some time, he's from my brother's generation," Felix is reported as saying by Portuguese outlet Mais Futebol. "I've seen him play since he was 12, 13 years old. He's always been like that, short, but he never loses a duel, whether in the air or on the ground.
"He's 19 years old, but he looks like he's 30. That's what Portugal has to do. Bet on the best. We are on the right path."
How much could Joao Neves cost?
After signing a new five-and-a-half-year contract in August, various outlets have claimed Neves' new deal contains a £103m release clause - with Benfica valuing him as dearly as they did Fernandez during his brief stint at the club before moving to Chelsea last January.
Benfica have proven themselves to be tough negotiators under the guidance of president Rui Costa in recent years, with the Estadio da Luz outfit demanding hefty fees from Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City to secure deals for Darwin Nunez, Fernandez and Ruben Dias respectively.
Has Joao Neves been linked with a move elsewhere?
As well as interest from Erik ten Hag's side, free-spending Chelsea have also, according to TeamTalk, been keeping a close eye on the development of Neves. However, as per Benfica's statement on Tuesday, Neves is understood to be off the market this month.