Manchester United to compete for Portuguese star

There was wide speculation that Manchester City was in the hunt for the central midfielder this summer but they let one slip through their fingers.

Jorginho chose he would rather play for his former master, while Mateo Kovacic, Thiago and Toni Kroos were purely speculation with not much go on Pep Guardiola’s reported targets.

We have Phil Foden, Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko as suitable replacements in the short term with two not good enough in the long term and the City youngster likely to develop as a more attacking player.

Therefore, many chiefs in Cityzens hierarchy have gone back to the drawing board to find themselves a younger version of Fernandinho.

Although playing slightly in a further forward position, Ruben Neves has been linked to Manchester City following his impressive performances throughout Wolves’ Championship campaign and their return to the Premier League.

The Portuguese player was always a step above the Championship level, with the 21-year-old only moving to the Molineux through a connection with his representative, Jorge Mendes.

He impressed considerably in the game against his potential suitors as he controlled any threat from Manchester City’s three-man midfield. Handling the pressure from Fernandinho, David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, he performed admirably defending his own goal and going forward.

Pep Guardiola was impressed with the opponents on that day and I’m sure one player caught his eye as the potential final piece in the City jigsaw.

However, they face competition with the red side of Manchester identifying Neves as a perfect addition as they look to improve their midfield.

Manchester United are set to go into battle with their neighbours for the signing, with both sides reportedly sending club representatives to watch the player in recent weeks.

The target fits as speculation regarding Paul Pogba to Barcelona continues.

Jose Mourinho could find himself in pole position due to his relationship with Neves’ representatives and any previous relationship he had with the Porto youngster.

However, that doesn’t count for much when there is speculation about the manager’s future and the possibility that he won’t be there in the Old Trafford dugout come January.

Another stumbling block comes with a fee being reported as Wolves are unlikely to let their star player go for cheap with a £60 million price tag for a 21-year-old. A player who has yet to play a full season in a top flight of the top four European leagues.

Considering the deal for Jorginho was near that reported fee, it will be not much trouble for City to gamble on a player who has already shown increased technical skill and quality this season.

Let’s just hope we can get the midfielder in right colours of Manchester in January or ready for 2019/20 season.