Manchester United target Joao Neves reportedly offered five times SL Benfica’s latest contract offer

Manchester United transfer target Joao Neves has reportedly been offered five times the salary offered by SL Benfica in a new deal.

The Red Devils are keen to strengthen their midfield after a season where only Kobbie Mainoo was able to keep his head up in the centre of the pitch.

As a result, the position has been identified as a vacancy this summer and Erik ten Hag’s men are said to have already made an offer for Benfica’s talented 19-year-old central midfielder Joao Neves.

It has been reported here that the Portuguese, currently in action for his nation at Euro 2024, has turned down a new contract offer from the Eagles amid interest from European giants such as Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

The Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reports that “the renewal proposal that Benfica presented to João Neves is well below what was expected by the midfielder.”
Neves is now one of the most important players in the first XI, having made 33 league appearances last season.

Therefore, he “demands to earn at the level of the highest salaries in the team and Benfica’s first proposal was to double the salary to reach one million euros per year, but Neves, his father and his agent, Jorge Mendes, understand that the new salary should be close to the current ceiling that captain Otamendi and Turkish player Kokçu currently earn (2.5 million euros per year excluding taxes).

Unfortunately for the Eagles, Neves’ great form has attracted other clubs and they have put forward tempting offers that may far surpass what his current squad can offer.

“Sources close to the player guarantee that the proposals reaching the Stade Lumière offer salaries five times higher than those presented by Benfica.” Or ten times his current salary.

According to the report, his current club want to reward the player for his progress but do not want to do “crazy things” like they have done in the past.

This is where teams like United and PSG will look to strike and take advantage of their economic superiority over clubs like Benfica.

Neves is one of the most promising young midfielders in world football and has been labelled an “aggressive and tenacious presser” who can also dictate possession from deeper positions.

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