Manchester United have reportedly seen a £51milion bid rejected for Joao Neves - who Bruno Fernandes has backed to make the transfer.
Neves, 19, has been mightily impressive for club and country. The Benfica midfielder could be set for a big summer ahead with the potential of a breakthrough tournament at Euro 2024 alongside Fernandes in the Portugal squad.
It seems United are keen to capitalise before he makes his presence known on the big stage, as Record claim they submitted a €60m offer for him. It was swiftly rejected by his current club, who want at least €100m (£85m) to part ways.
While he's only been playing professional football for the best part of 18 months, Fernandes reckons his international team-mate is definitely able and ready to become his colleague at Old Trafford too, should the move materialise.
He was first asked about the possibility last November, telling Sport TV: "It has to be the Man United coach who says whether he has a place or not. He's a great player, I don't know if he would have a place or not. It depends on the coach and his ideas.
“But he's an excellent player and an excellent kid, very professional. He will have a bright future wherever he goes. I would really like to have him by my side. Because he has quality and will have a bright future. It depends on him. What I want most is the best for him."
Neves continued to excel in his home country, winning the Primeira Liga's Midfielder of the Month award on six occasions last season. That only served to fuel speculation about a summer transfer further.
Fernandes was once again questioned on the matter during the March international break. "I don’t know if United rumours are true, but I know he is ready for that big jump," he reiterated. "He is an excellent player, he’s with the national team. That’s also why the big clubs are after him."
United's bid is exactly half of the €120m (£102m) release clause includes in Neves' contract, which runs until 2028 having only been extended last August. It makes a deal hard to complete in the upcoming window, particularly after Benfica denied holding talks with them in January.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team are expected to take a more pragmatic approach to transfers, with big-money spending not having resolved the club's issues in the past decade. So it seems unlikely they'll be pushing to Benfica's demands.
Additions in midfield are set to be needed, however. Casemiro has been linked with the Saudi Pro League after a disappointing second season working under Erik ten Hag.
A decision on whether to activate the £21m buy option in Sofyan Amrabat's loan move from Fiorentina is yet to be made. Ten Hag has also set his sights on a striker to replace Anthony Martial and a centre-back to fill the shoes of Raphael Varane.