Paris Saint-Germain midfielder João Neves has been a revelation for the French giants this 2024-25 season after arriving from SL Benfica this past summer. Nonetheless, one club is kicking themselves for not landing the Portuguese standout.
The Parisians paid €60 million for Neves, beating out Manchester United, a serious threat to the Ligue 1 side, to secure the young talent.
Neves came up through Benfica’s youth system and made his senior debut for the club in January 2023. Last season, he played in 55 games across all competitions for the Portuguese giants.
In 13 appearances across all competitions for PSG, Neves has recorded one goal and six assists, which is the production the Red Devils want from their midfield.
Manchester United regret not securing João Neves
In an interview with United In Focus, transfer expert Graeme Bailey notes the Premier League side’s regret for not pushing to land a midfielder when they were in the race with PSG.
“The Manchester United scout I spoke to thinks that nobody in Europe is currently playing better than Neves… he is playing that well. They view him as the one that got away.
“United have loved him for a long time, and I think they thought he would be at Benfica until next summer [2025]. United didn’t necessarily see a deal for this summer [2024], they also didn’t view Neves as a holding midfielder, which meant he was not a priority.”
