Man United 'weighing up £50m-plus move for Neto as alternative to Sancho'

Manchester United are considering a move in excess of £50million for Wolves star Pedro Neto as an alternative to Jadon Sancho, according to reports.

The 21-year-old has been one of the few shining lights in a disappointing season for the West Midlands outfit, putting in a number of impressive displays to go with his five Premier League goals this season.

And The Sun claim his excellent displays have moved him up in the list of targets Old Trafford chiefs are looking at as they eye defensive reinforcements in the summer transfer window.

The report adds that he is viewed by United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and others at the club as a viable alternative to England stars Jack Grealish and Sancho, who ply their trade for Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

But the signing of the Portugal international now will prove to be much dearer than it would have been had they brought him to Old Trafford on the first possible occasion.

Neto had a trial at Carrington back in 2016 when he was still a teenager but he did not impress enough for United to consider bringing him in permanently from Braga in his home country.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side were the team who would eventually take Neto away from Braga, signing him in 2019 following a two-year loan spell at Lazio.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have also been linked with a move for Neto, but the report claims they are now more likely to focus their attention on Grealish having moved ahead of their city rivals in the queue for the Villa captain.

Neto - whose Wolves side currently sit 13th in the Premier League table - made his Portugal debut in November last year in their thumping 7-0 victory against Andorra.

The same outlet refuses to rule out a move from the Old Trafford hierarchy for Sancho - who turns 21 on Thursday - but it will likely depend on the price and Dortmund's success in qualifying for next season's Champions League.

The Bundesliga side refused to concede any ground on their £100m valuation of Sancho last summer, but failure to qualify for Europe's elite club competition means they could be forced to sell some of their assets to make up for the loss of income.

Such a situation would likely not only put Sancho on the market but also Dortmund's star forward Erling Haaland.

United have also been linked with a £51m move for Pedro Goncalves of Sporting Lisbon as another Sancho alternative, while Leeds' impressive Brazilian Raphinha has also been mooted as a potential other name.