Man Utd make second bid worth £59m to sign 'excellent' Primeira Liga star - report
Manchester United have made an improved bid to sign Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, according to Portuguese publication Corrieo da Manha (page 12).
The Red Devils are aiming to sign a marquee defensive midfielder this summer and they have recently been linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte.
However, the club are keeping their options open and Correio da Manha report that United have made an offer worth £59 million to sign Neves from Benfica.
The proposal was immediately turned down by the Portuguese outfit. It was the second bid from United, having previously offered £51m to sign the wonderkid.
Benfica president Rui Costa has been reluctant to sell Neves for less than the £102m release clause, but he has not closed the door on a possible compromise.
Neves would be a better signing than Ugarte for United
United are currently evaluating their holding midfield targets. Ugarte has given the green light for a transfer, but the club are yet to make a formal transfer bid.
On the other hand, the Red Devils have already made a couple of verbal proposals for Neves. In our view, the 19-year-old would be a better acquisition than Ugarte.
Neves and Ugarte had a passing accuracy of 90 and 91 percent in their respective leagues last season.
Both are strong when it comes to tackling and making ball recoveries. However, Ugarte was dribbled past almost two times more than Neves during the course of the campaign.
Ugarte has the tendency to be erratic at times. Neves is more composed with his positioning despite being four years younger. He appears a better signing for United.
Neves, who has been described as an ‘excellent‘ player by Bruno Fernandes, won’t come on the cheap. United can still make a statement by signing him this summer.
Stats from Sofascore.com