Photo: Joao Neves

 Joao Neves, a promising midfield player for Benfica, is being watched by Manchester United; nevertheless, the Red Devils will need to pay a £103 million release clause to acquire him.

That’s in line with an article in the Sun that says United scouts have been closely monitoring the 19-year-old.

“Joao Neves is on Manchester United’s radar,” the report states.

“SunSport understands Red Devils boss Erik Ten Hag has his scouts watch young midfield ace Neves.

“Ten Hag has already ramped up his scouting operations in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio being closely monitored ahead of a potential swoop in January.

“The scout attended Benfica’s match against Estoril last week, where Neves started his eighth game in a row. He recently signed a new deal with Benfica which runs through to 2028 and has a release clause of £103 million.”

Roberto Martinez has noticed Neves’ form and called him up to the Portugal squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Neves has been one of Benfica’s star players thus far this season, Eurosport wrote.