One of the hottest things on the transfer market this summer (after Nico Williams) is the young Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, who apparently has a release clause of a staggering 120m Euros.
Portugese clubs are famous for trying to charge extortionate prices for their young stars, but are usually likely to negotiate for sales below the release clause if big offers are put on the table, and now the Benfica chief Rui Costa admitted that he would be willing to allow Neves to leave for a lower price.
He told A Bola: “I never said that Joao Neves would only leave for his release clause and therefore those claims are false,” said the club’s president. “What I can say in relation to Joao Neves is that there is an offer on the table.
“That has been in the news in the last days but I’m not going to say where this proposal stands. There is a proposal on the table which is being evaluated and is being discussed. But at this moment, Joao Neves remains a Benfica player.”
Although Neves is only 19 he has amazingly already made 50 appearances (33 last season) for Benfica and has 9 full caps for Portugal, and he may end up being the new Ronaldo, but I do wonder if he can transfer his silky skills to the hustle and bustle of the Premier League at such a tender age, so it will be interesting to find out if Mikel Arteta has shown any interest…..
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A “bargain” at around £100m? Who knows? Do Arsenal have the money? They have already spent some £60m (assuming Calafiori joins) and there’s still a striker to get if reports are true.
What’s the best way to encourage a club to meet the release clause? State that an offer below the release clause has already been submitted.