Costa then elaborated on the unnamed bid, saying: “There is a proposal on the table that is being evaluated and discussed. But at the moment Joao Neves is still a Benfica player. It’s not that I want to hide the ins and outs, because I understand that Benfica fans want to know whether Joao will leave or not.

“But at the moment there are negotiations going on, so allow me to be reserved about this so that we can determine what is the best outcome for Benfica.”

With 75 first-team appearances for Benfica to his name, Neves is now a regular in his country’s international squad. Portugal manager Roberto Martinez believes ‘100 per cent’ the 19-year-old could play for a club like United, adding on the FIVE podcast: “Everything goes his way, the faster the game, the better the opponent, the better his decisions are.”

Your turn! Should Manchester United enter a bidding war for Joao Neves? Give us your views in the comments section

Martinez continued: “He is an intelligent midfielder. He is a six who can be an eight, he can get into the box, finish situations, but his job is more about always being in the right positions centrally.

“He can receive the ball in any position, is very strong with both feet and has a low sense of balance, (which) allows him to protect the ball very well. (He) is someone who uses the short pass more than the long pass, he is still 19. He is a player who plays bigger games than his age.”

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