Costa confirms Neves bid amid Premier League interest in Benfica star

Benfica president Rui Costa has said that a bid has been tabled for the services of 19-year-old midfielder Joao Neves.

Neves, who featured in Portugal’s quarter-final run at Euro 2024, has been of interest to Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Arsenal.

The midfielder made 55 appearances in all competitions for the Eagles last season, scoring three times and helping the club lift a ninth Portuguese Super Cup.

Neves played just 77 minutes at the European Championships in Germany, but has attracted interest for his assured midfield displays at club level.

The 19-year-old ranked second for most successful passes in the Primeira Liga (1794), only bettered by Sporting CP defender, Goncalo Inacio (2154).

Neves has a €120million (£101 million) release clause in his contract, with Costa saying the club are discussing a bid that was made in the last few days, and that they would even be prepared to accept an offer below that valuation.

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“I never said that Joao Neves would only leave for his release clause and therefore, those claims are false,” Costa said, per 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 best outcome for Benfica.”

It would mark yet another huge financial sum received by the 38-time Primeira Liga champions in recent years.

The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Darwin Nunez, Ruben Dias and Joao Felix have all made big money moves over the past five years, bringing in an estimated €404million.