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Arsenal interested in signing Benfica star Joao Neves

By Ritayan Chatterjee on November 14, 2023

Arsenal reportedly sent scouts to watch SL Benfica star Joao Neves in action in last weekend’s Lisbon Derby against Sporting CP ahead of a potential swoop in the upcoming transfer window, as per 90min.

The Gunners have seemingly been exploring the possibility of signing a new defensive midfielder as a replacement for Thomas Partey – who has been suffering from injury problems in recent times.

Several players have been mentioned as potential targets for the North London club with Andre Trindade, Arthur Vermeeren and Douglas Luiz being among them, but Neves is now emerging as a serious option.

According to the report by 90min, Arsenal have been showing an interest in signing Neves and they sent scouts to watch him in action in last weekend’s Lisbon derby – where the 19-year-old helped his side come away victorious from that game by scoring a stoppage-time goal.

The midfielder was impressive in that fixture and after being impressed by his display, the Emirates club could opt to make a concrete approach to sign him in the upcoming transfer window to reinforce their engine room.

However, the report claims that purchasing Neves won’t be straightforward for Arsenal as Liverpool and Manchester United have also been keeping a close eye on his development before making a potential move next year.

Neves to Arsenal

Neves still has more than four and a half years left in his current contract and has a £103m release clause included in his deal. So, Benfica are in a strong position to demand that sum to sell their star man and therefore, Arsenal are likely to be needed to trigger his release clause if they wish to acquire his service in the upcoming window.

Neves has already showcased glimpses of his talent for Benfica in recent times and the Emirates faithful will be hoping that he will be able to replicate the same performance in the Premier League if Arsenal were to sign him next year.

However, it has been reported that having already splashed more than £200m last summer, they can’t afford to spend big in January. So, it is looking highly unlikely that Mikel Arteta’s side would be able to broker a deal for him in the winter window.

But, they could look to secure his signature next summer so it is going to be interesting to see whether Arsenal eventually opt to make a concrete approach to purchase Neves next year to reinforce their midfield department.