Pay up, Man Utd! Massive transfer fee slapped on Red Devils' target Joao Neves ahead of January transfer window

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Red Devils will have to fork out the huge sum for the midfielder despite the fact he has played just 45 games for Benfica. The report, which claims manager Erik ten Hag has asked the club to sign the youngster, states there is no way around it, United have to meet their asking price if they want to land him.

United have just confirmed Sir Jim Ratcliffe's £1.25 billion ($1.59bn) partial takeover of the club, which amounts to a 25 percent stake. Whether or not his introduction will mean the Red Devils will be better run and have more success on the pitch remains to be seen. Much of their transfer business in recent years has failed and another big purchase, such as Neves, may make figureheads at the club a little nervous. An interesting January transfer window awaits.

Neves has a contract at Benfica until the summer of 2028. He has scored two goals and bagged as many assists in 45 matches for the Portuguese giants thus far. He is seen as one of the next big things in Portuguese football.

The January transfer window opens in just over a week's time. United will look to make signings at the start of 2024, plus they may offload some players as well. It remains to be seen if they will stump up the fee Benfica want for Neves.