Liverpool and Chelsea hijack Manchester United transfer plan to sign 'excellent' £103m wonderkid

Manchester United have been dealt a blow to their chances of signing Joao Neves this summer. The 19-year-old midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford recently as he continues to impress for Benfica in the Portuguese top flight.

Neves, who sees his contract expire in 2028, has featured 27 times in the Primeira Liga this season, helping Roger Schmidt's side keep 14 clean sheets. The Portugal international has played a crucial role for Benfica in their title race against Sporting CP, with just one point separating the two clubs.

His performances have reportedly courted the interest of some top European clubs, including Manchester United. According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, as quoted by Sport Witness, Liverpool and Chelsea have joined the Red Devils in the 'race' to sign Neves.

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The report states that Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in the teenager, who has a €120m (£102.7m) release clause. O Jogo adds that clubs with Champions League qualification will have an advantage over those, like Chelsea and potentially Manchester United, without.

While speculation begins to intensify ahead of the summer, the Portuguese newspaper have clarified that no talks with Premier League clubs have taken place. In fact, in January, Benfica publicly denied talks with Manchester United in January

An official club statement read: "Sport Lisboa e Benfica denies the existence of any right of first refusal over its player João Neves. Under no circumstances has Sport Lisboa e Benfica entered into