Benfica president Rui Costa has revealed that a bid has been made for Arsenal and Manchester United target Joao Neves.
The 19-year-old midfielder is among Europe’s most in-demand players this summer after an exceptional season in Portugal’s top flight.
Arsenal and United are expected to face competition from other European clubs for the gifted youngster, who has earned comparisons to Manchester City’s Rodri.
Costa has now admitted that Neves could be sold for less than his £101m release clause, potentially initiating a bidding war between the interested parties.
“I never said that Joao Neves would only leave for his release clause and therefore, those claims are false,” he told A Bola. “What I can say in relation to Joao Neves is that there is an offer on the table. That has been in the news in the last days but I’m not going to say where this proposal stands.
“There is a proposal on the table which is being evaluated and is being discussed. But at this moment, Joao Neves remains a Benfica player. It’s not that I want to hide the ins and outs because I understand that Benfica fans want to know whether Joao will be leaving or not.
“But at this moment, there are ongoing negotiations, so please allow me to be reserved about this subject so we can take care of what will be the best outcome for Benfica.”
The offer in question is reportedly from Paris Saint-Germain, with the French champions clearly willing to spend big to strengthen their midfield.
Arsenal and Manchester United have repeatedly been linked with a player who now has 75 Benfica appearances to his name and nine caps for Portugal, two of which came at Euro 2024.
But Portuguese outlet Record claim that negotiations between PSG and Benfica could be concluded by the end of this week.
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