It has just come to light, that a club president is readying a monster contract offer to keep his ‘superstar’ at the club after being linked to Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s men are perhaps two top-class additions away from bridging the gap on Manchester City, who pipped them to the Premier League title by two points last season.
A midfielder is certainly a position Arteta is keen on strengthening and there have been a number of links to a highly-rated ‘superstar’ on the continent.
Though, a twist in their pursuit has now emerged.
Rui Costa preparing monster contract offer to keep Joao Neves amid Arsenal interest
According to Correio da Manha, Benfica club president Rui Costa is preparing a substantial contract offer to Joao Neves in a bid to fend off potential suitors.
Arsenal have been heavily linked with the £102m-rated midfielder and have been monitoring him for months.
The 19-year-old is also attracting interest from Manchester United, though, in a fresh twist, it seems he could remain in Portugal beyond the summer.
The report further notes that Costa will ‘do everything’ to retain his services, so it seems like a very tricky deal to complete for Arsenal.
Arsenal should focus on other targets
Arsenal should move on to other targets after this development as it’s become pretty evident that a deal to sign Neves would likely cost in excess of £100m and even then, Benfica are reluctant to do business.
So, instead, Edu should consider a cheaper alternative in Georgiy Sudakov, who is expected to cost in the region of £60m.
The left-footed midfielder can also operate as a number 10, so he’d provide great versatility – a trait Arteta admires.
A telling summer awaits The Gunners.