According to the Sun via ESPN, Manchester United met with the agent of Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis in January.
The Sun claim that the 20-year-old’s contracted with the Portuguese giants until 2024 with this deal including a release clause of £52m.
ESPN report that Benfica may be willing to allow the defensive midfielder to leave on loan in deal that would include a permanent option.
ESPN add that Bayern Leverkusen, Real Betis and Leeds are also eyeing the ace, with the Sun claiming that Marcelo Bielsa’s side see Luis as a possible signing should they achieve promotion this season.
The Sun hint that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will also have to battle cross-town rivals Manchester City for the ace’s signature, as the Citizens have scouted the 20-year-old for some time now.
ESPN also contacted the ace’s agent, Bruno Carvalho Santos, here are his thoughts:
“Florentino is one of the highest rated young defensive midfielders in Europe, so there is a lot of interest in him at the moment.”
“There has been a lot of talk about Milan, but I can tell you that there is a lot of competition for his services, with clubs in England, Germany and Spain also following him closely.”
Luis became a first-team regular in the second-half of last season but the ace has battled with injury troubles during this campaign, limiting the talent to just 15 appearances this term.
ESPN add that the ace is nicknamed ‘O Polvo’ which means the Octopus, given the starlet’s impressive ability win it comes to covering ground and winning loose balls in midfield.
The Portugal youth international seems like a potential interception machine, which would be a massive addition to a United side that have looked shaky on the defensive side of the ball at times.
With the Portuguese top-flight set to return this week after a hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic, United fans may have the chance to catch the ace in action.