Manchester United were unable to land Joao Neves during their earlier pursuit and ultimately lost out to French champions Paris Saint‑Germain
Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves
Bruno Fernandes tried to persuade Joao Neves to join him at Man United
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Bruno Fernandes' Portugal teammate Vitinha said the Manchester United captain tried to persuade Joao Neves to join him at Old Trafford before the youngster ultimately chose to sign for Paris Saint‑Germain and link up with Vitinha instead.
United looked at signing Neves in the summer of 2024 as they searched for a long‑term replacement for Casemiro. Nearly two years on, the club are still yet to find a suitable successor, with the Brazilian set to leave when his contract expires at the end of June.
Despite being only 19 at the time, Neves had already built a strong reputation at Benfica, showing all the hallmarks of a player with huge potential - something he has since demonstrated at the Parc des Princes.
United were keen to bring in younger legs and reportedly saw two approaches rejected by Benfica. Neves ultimately completed a £51million move - rising to £59m with add‑ons - to the Ligue 1 champions.
As a result, United turned to Sporting Clube de Portugal's Manuel Ugarte, signing him for £42m. According to Vitinha, their failure to land Neves was not due to a lack of effort.
In a sit‑down interview with [Portuguese channel Canal 11](https://twitter.com/Canal_11Oficial/status/2028243500802752601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2026 ), the PSG midfielder revealed that both he and Fernandes repeatedly tried to convince Neves to join their respective clubs.
"I did everything to convince him to come here (to PSG)," Vitinha said. "Yeah, Bruno also always did that."
In the end, it was the 26‑year‑old who won the race ahead of the United captain.
Neves has only continued to thrive in France, playing a central role in Luis Enrique's treble‑winning side during his first season, which included PSG's first‑ever Champions League title.
Joao Neves
Joao Neves celebrating after winning the Champions League with PSG
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The 21‑year‑old continues to attract interest ahead of the summer, with reports suggesting it could take an extraordinary offer of €150m–€160m (up to £140m) to prise him away from PSG.
Alongside United, Chelsea and Liverpool have also been linked. United are planning to upgrade their options in midfield when the window re-opens in the summer.
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