Man Utd join hunt for Enzo Fernandez replacement but face release clause conundrum

Posted Wednesday, October 11, 2023 by Express.co.uk

Manchester United are eyeing up an exciting young talent but there is a catch.

Manchester United are reportedly pursuing Enzo Fernandez's replacement at Benfica, Joao Neves. Erik ten Hag wants a central midfielder in January and has identified the 19-year-old Portuguese midfielder as an ideal signing.

Neves started training with the first team after Fernandez completed his move to Chelsea in January for £106.8million. He has since established himself as a regular fixture in Roger Schmitd's squad and helped the Eagles secure their first league title in four years last season.

In total, Neves has made 31 first-team appearances in all competitions and was recently called up to the Portuguese senior national team for the first time by Roberto Martinez to play in Euro 2024 qualifiers against Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. But Neves hasn't just caught the eye of his national team manager. He has also turned Erik ten Hag's head.

According to the Sun, Ten Hag has sent his scouts to watch Neves with an eye on striking up a deal with the reigning Liga Portugal champions. But signing Neves will come at a steep price.

The youngster recently signed a new deal at Estadio da Luz until 2028 which has a staggering £103m release clause inserted into his contract. Man Utd are currently hand-cuffed by financial fair play and are have had to be more cautious about their spending as of late.

In July, UEFA's Club Financial Control Body fined Man Utd £256,744 for a "minor breakeven deficit" and the club are yet to publish their financial accounts for the year ending June 2023. The Red Devil’s quarterly accounts for the three months ending December 2022 show United owed £969.9million in gross debt and outstanding transfer payments.

Man Utd join hunt for Enzo Fernandez replacement but face release clause conundrum
Enzo Fernandez left Benfica in January and Joao Neves took his place (Image: Getty)

This comes at a time in which the ongoing takeover saga continues to rage on. INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is chasing a minority share of the club with a view to securing a majority stake in the future.

According to The Times, the Glazers are considering a revised offer from Ratcliffe for 25 per cent of the club worth £1.5b that would keep the American family on board until the rest of their share was bought out.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Jassim is looking to take full control of Manchester United but has been unable to meet the Glazers' £6b valuation for the entirety of the club so far.