The game-changing £86m signing that will make Man Utd instant title contenders next season

Where to begin with Manchester United this summer. Perhaps it is in the heart of defence, riddled with injury and inconsistency as it is presently; or maybe at the point of attack, where Rasmus Hojlund continues to wheeze and stagger under the undivided weight of expectation; or even in the dugout, potentially, as Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford swings back and forth, back and forth from a gossamer thread?

The Red Devils, even in spite of their FA Cup triumph last month, are in desperate need of a rebuild over the coming weeks. A lowest-ever Premier League finish has left optimism traipsing through the doldrums, and as those around them threaten to strengthen exponentially, the upcoming summer transfer window could represent something of a crucial juncture for United.

Several signings will be needed in several positions, but in truth, none should be as pressing a priority to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his blank chequebook as the centre of midfield. While Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes now feel like indispensable components in this United side, the Red Devils are sorely lacking in sustainable options besides. Casemiro has suffered a monumental dip in form of late, Christian Eriksen increasingly looks like a talent on the wane, Sofyan Amrabat is not expected to return next season, Mason Mount has endured a nightmarish debut campaign in Manchester, and Scott McTominay continues to divide opinion on a weekly basis.

To that end, reinforcements are a must, and in that regard, there are no linked names quite as intriguing as that of Benfica starlet Joao Neves. The 19-year-old is one of the most sought after young talents in continental football at the present moment in time, and the understanding from Portugal is that United are very much in the running to prise him away from the Estádio da Luz this summer.

According to Portuguese outlet Record, as relayed by Sport Witness, the Red Devils sent scouts to watch the teenager on multiple occasions throughout the 2023/24 campaign, while Caught Offside suggest that Neves is now considered a ‘priority’ in the boardroom at Old Trafford, and Spanish publication Nacional insist that super-agent Jorge Mendes is trying to engineer a ‘galactic’ deal between the Red Devils and Benfica.

Certainly, the fee would be out of this world. The widespread claim is that United have allocated in excess of £85.7 million to secure Neves’ signature, and there are even suggestions that they would be willing to break their transfer record by coughing up more than the £90 million or so they paid to sign Paul Pogba in 2016.

The extent to which these financial specificities hold true remains to be seen, of course, but there is no doubting that Neves is a player worth pursuing. Like the aforementioned Mainoo, his is a talent and poise that vastly belies his age, and his ceiling of potential is almost incalculably high. The five-cap Portugal international is characterised by his technical ability, his agility and composure in tight areas, and his willingness to drop deep to receive possession in defensive areas so as to spark attacking phases with his exemplary range of distribution.

Indeed, with a smattering of other canny acquisitions sprinkled throughout the squad, a midfield partnership of Neves and Mainoo feels like a pairing that United could build not just a team, but a dynasty around.

And ultimately, that has to be the goal here. The Red Devils are one of the biggest clubs in English, if not European football, and they find themselves on the precipice of slipping into irrelevancy. The job this summer, and in transfer windows to come, is to assemble a dressing room capable of reestablishing themselves as perennial Premier League title contenders. There would be few better ways of beginning that process than going all out to lure Neves to Old Trafford.