Benfica president Rui Costa has suggested Joao Neves can leave the club for less than his €120m release clause this summer.
Neves’ breakout season with the Portuguese side has captured the interest of Europe’s top teams, with the 19-year-old having earned inclusion in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year for 2023-24.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have all monitored his progress in Portugal, though Paris Saint-Germain are frontrunners to land the teenager.
Neves has a release clause of €120m (£101m) but Costa has confirmed Benfica are receptive to offers lower than that fee. He revealed the Portuguese side have already received one proposal, thought to be from PSG.
“I never said that Joao Neves would only leave for his release clause and therefore, those claims are false,” he told Portuguese outlet A Bola.
“What I can say in relation to Joao Neves is that there is an offer on the table,” he added. “That has been in the news in the last days but I’m not going to say where this proposal stands.
“There is a proposal on the table which is being evaluated and is being discussed. But at this moment, Joao Neves remains 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 be leaving or not.”
