Jane Njoku

According to reports by TEAMtalk, Manchester United will compete with Saudi Pro League clubs and Chelsea in the bid to sign talented Benfica midfielder Joao Neves in the coming months.

Joao Neves has proven himself to be a key player for the Portuguese side, and he could establish himself as a solid long-term buy for Manchester. The Red Devils require more quality and control in the middle of the park, and Neves seems like the perfect purchase for them.

Manchester United has been linked with a few central midfielders in recent months, and it will be interesting to see if they can secure Neves’ services at the end of the season. It is unlikely that Benfica will sanction his departure midway through the season, and the Devils will have to wait until the summer transfer window to sign him.

Joao Neves replaced Enzo Fernandez at the heart of Benfica’s midfield after Fernandez joined Chelsea at the beginning of the year. Since then, he has significantly contributed to the growth of the team and proved himself a key player for the club.

While he is just 19, Neves is good enough to start for Manchester United, and he has all the qualities to grow into a world-class midfielder in the coming seasons. Manchester midfielder, Erik Ten Hag has a proven track record in terms of nurturing talented young players and he could help Joao fulfil his tremendous potential too.

The midfielder will not be a cheap acquisition. So, Manchester might have to pay a premium to sign him. Neves reportedly has a release clause of up to €120 million, and Benfica are likely to demand the full amount.

Although Manchester United has the resources to pay that amount for him, the question of whether they are ready to shell out that type of fee for a largely unproven player still looms. Neves is yet to prove himself outside of Portugal and consistently.

There is no argument that he could turn into a key player for the Red Devils and justify the investment in the long run. But, Manchester is in tough competition from Chelsea in the race to sign the teenage sensation.

The Blues have been active in the transfer market over the last few months, and they have the resources to sign the best players in the world. It will be worth seeing if the Red Devils are ready to enter a bidding war with them at the end of the season.

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Ajax is hoping to hire Arsenal assistant manager Albert Stuivenberg as their new head coach, according to reports. The Dutch club is on the lookout for a new boss after firing Maurice Steijn on Monday following an awful run of form that had seen the team surprisingly slip into the Eredivisie relegation zone.

They originally had their sight set on Erik ten Hag’s No.2 Mitchell van der Gaag, but he has no plans of leaving Manchester United. Van der Gaag was recommended to Ajax by former Manchester Manager Louis van Gaal who recently came back to the club in an advisory role.

But after missing their shot with him, Van Gaal has quickly suggested that Stuivenberg who served as his assistant coach from 2014 to 2016 at Old Trafford be appointed.

Per reports by Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, via The Mirror, it is hoped that Albert Stuivenberg will create an attacking style of play and bring back the club’s former glory, with Ajax a whopping 22 points of league leaders PSV.

The 53-year-old was also assistant manager for Wales under Ryan Giggs and Rob Page and was in the leading Belgian side Genk for a year. In 2019, he moved to the Gunners to assist the newly appointed Mikel Arteta and has been at his side since then.

It is yet to be known if Stuivenberg would be interested in joining the Dutch side, but one certain thing is that Arteta wouldn’t want to lose a key member of his coaching staff, especially with their chances of winning the league being the best it’s been for many years.

After running close to the Citizens last season, Arsenal have begun this campaign excellently, undefeated after nine matches and just two points behind leaders Tottenham.

As Ajax continues their search, Steijn’s assistant Hedwiges Maduro will take charge of the club temporarily and they are reportedly also in talks with John van t’ Schip to become the head coach for the rest of the season.

Ajax will swing back in action tonight when they travel to Brighton for a crucial Europa League clash.

Meanwhile, fresh from their Champions League victory over Sevilla, Stuivenberg will be at Arterta’s side for the Gunners’ next match on Saturday at home to Sheffield United.

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