Liverpool and Chelsea are reportedly engaged in a transfer battle over Porto midfielder Ruben Neves, although Juventus are also said to be in the race.
The 20-year-old has caught the attention of several big clubs around Europe after breaking into the Porto team over the last three seasons.
Further, he’s represented Portugal at every youth level from U16s to U23s before making his senior debut two years ago, and so despite his young age, he has pedigree and experience both for club and country.
In turn, as reported by The Sun, Chelsea and Liverpool have both been linked with a move, while Juventus has become a possibility for the youngster as all three clubs in question are looking to bolster their midfield options ahead of next season.
One major stumbling block for them though could be the fact that he has a £35m release clause in his current contract, while no progress is expected for the next fortnight or so as he continues to represent Portugal at the Under-21 European Championship this summer.
The Sun though even go as far as to say that both Liverpool and Chelsea see him as a future of their midfield, and while the early signs are promising and he’s widely regarded as one of the top talents in Europe, it’s surely too early to be splashing out £35m on him to meet Porto’s clause.
One thing standing in their favour is that they could now get him at a cheaper price. As seen with Andre Silva’s move to AC Milan where he moved for significantly less than his release clause, the Portuguese giants are coming off the back of a disappointing campaign and have financial troubles with regards to Financial Fair Play regulations.
In turn, there could be room for negotiation over Neves, at which point all three interested clubs noted above will undoubtedly be pushing to get there first.