Manchester City are now in pole position to sign Portuguese wonderkid Joao Neves from Benfica.
That is according to Graeme Bailey – who was speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast.
So, what was said about Manchester City and Joao Neves? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the 19-year-old.
Manchester City have found a number of key players from the Portuguese market under Pep Guardiola, including Ederson and Ruben Dias.
Now, the Citizens are targeting another of Portugal’s finest.
When asked about Neves, Bailey said: “Fascinating player. City – from what I am told – are really in pole position at the moment. He looks special. City have a good relationship with Benfica, having signed Ruben Dias before.”
The teenager is already a key man for Benfica in the vital No.6 position just ahead of the backline.
Neves has played 90 minutes in both of Benfica’s UEFA Champions League outings this season, while also starting five out of eight games in the Primeira Liga so far this term.
A story from The Sun likened the Benfica No.87 – who is valued at €30m (£26m) by the CIES Football Observatory – to Manchester United maestro Bruno Fernandes, despite the fact they operate in different areas of the pitch.
Joao Neves could replace Kalvin Phillips at Manchester City
The timing of this news from Bailey is very interesting.
It comes amid a report from iNews – who claim that Kalvin Phillips is very likely to leave Manchester City in January after being overlooked by Guardiola, despite Rodri picking up a suspension.
The England international has only made two Premier League starts in total since joining the Citizens from Leeds United in July 2022.
Newcastle and Everton are said to be keen on Phillips, who could be immediately replaced by another holding midfielder in Neves if Bailey’s update is accurate.
