Paris Saint-Germain are looking to rebuild after the loss of Kylian Mbappé and a certain Portuguese midfielder is where they intend to start from.
The French Ligue 1 champions could lose Manuel Ugarte after one season thanks to interest from the Premier League – particularly Manchester United. It also looks like the Uruguayan will seek an exit regardless, which means that the Parisiens must replace him with another midfielder.
Reports emerged recently about them looking to sign Man United outcast Jadon Sancho, who performed well enough in his second stint at Borussia Dortmund between January 2024 and June 2024. Though things look to be on the up for the Englishman at the Premier League side, the word on the transfer news streets is that he could still leave and that United are open to offers for him.
Sancho’s versatility means that he can slot straight into the role that was left vacant by Mbappé’s exit which makes his signing one that makes sense. He could also be playing with Victor Osimhen, as concrete evidence suggests that the Nigerian striker will play for the Ligue 1 giants next season.
This leaves the issue of a midfielder for PSG to sort out and their sights are set on one with United links.
Bruno Fernandes’ name is being mentioned by the media but there are no concrete links other than what a few journalists have reported. However, transfer news guru, Fabrizio Romano, claims that the Portugal midfielder that PSG are interested in is actually Benfica’s João Neves, who Manchester United have been in talks with for months.
The 19-year-old is the breakout star from the Portuguese Primeira Liga who is wanted by many big clubs across Europe. He was a part of Portugal’s 2024 Euros squad and made some interesting cameos that solidified the interest in him.
Up until Romano’s report, Man United were reportedly in the lead to sign Neves. However, PSG have gone ahead to table a bid for the midfielder, which is less than the €120 million required by Benfica to release him from his contract at the club.
This news will come as a relief for Manchester United fans, who consider Fernandes to be untouchable among the current crop of players. Romano also went ahead to state that the club will offer the Portuguese maestro a new and improved contract if they get him to extend the one he is currently working under.
For United, however, the news of PSG entering talks for Neves is not something they will be pleased with. However, they could pull all the stops to sign the youngster the way they did in the Leny Yoro deal which they hijacked from Real Madrid.
