Man Utd: Ratcliffe ‘priority’ target subject to ‘false’ transfer ‘talk’ as Ten Hag prepares to ‘cut ties’ with flop | OneFootball

Joao Neves in action for Benfica.

European giants Benfica have responded to reports linking 19-year-old midfielder Joao Neves with a move to Manchester United.

It was revealed over the weekend that Sir Jim Ratcliffe expects his takeover to be ratified by the Premier League in February and he will have a big job on his hands over the next couple of months.

One of his main priorities will be to overhaul Man Utd‘s recruitment model to ensure that they are more sustainable with their transfer business.

It has been claimed in recent days that Benfica teenager Neves has been identified as Ratcliffe’s ‘priority’ signing ahead of the summer transfer window.

The 19-year-old has already been capped on a couple of occasions for Portugal at senior level and has made 49 appearances for boyhood club Benfica.

Under contract until 2028, Benfica are unsurprisingly keen to keep Neves but their hands may be tied as there is a £103m release clause in his current contract.

Benfica made their position clear on Tuesday as they responded to reported interest from Man Utd. They are insistent that they are not in “talks” with the Premier League giants over Neves.

“Benfica denies the existence of any right of preference over its player Joao Neves,” the Portuguese outfit said in a statement released on Tuesday.

“Under no circumstances did Benfica enter into talks with Manchester United or any other club about this player – nor does it intend to do so. Any information that points in another direction is false.”

If Man Utd eventually finalise a deal for Neves, they will hope that he will turn out to be a better signing than Sofyan Amrabat, who has struggled since joining the club in the summer from Serie A side Fiorentina.

Identified as one of their top summer targets, Man Utd worked hard to secure his services and he ended up joining them on loan with an option to buy in the summer to get around their Financial Fair Play issues.

Sadly for United, Amrabat has not lived up to expectations at Old Trafford and journalist Dean Jones has suggested that they are planning to “cut ties” with him in the summer.

“Manchester United must be very relieved they do not have an obligation to buy Amrabat because the move has just not worked out at all, and they will cut ties on this one without any regrets,” Jones told GiveMeSport.

“It was such a protracted transfer and there was so much expectation around him fixing a major problem within the side, but we just have not seen that play out. As such, his chances of earning a permanent deal are pretty much zero.”