Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd in pole position for £130m midfield gem whose agent knows his wish; West Ham rival Fulham for Prem striker

Manchester United are standing out as the main candidates to sign Joao Neves from Benfica, while West Ham are battling for a Wolves striker – according to Thursday’s European transfer gossip.

MAN UTD LEADING RACE FOR NEVES

Man Utd are the most interested club in Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, according to a couple of Portuguese sources.

Neves is enjoying his second season in the Benfica first team and his development has already seen him rewarded with a huge contract until 2028 back in the summer.

Rather than quieten speculation about his future, the new deal already seems outdated in Benfica’s eyes, since they are bracing themselves for further interest in his signature.

TEAMtalk revealed in October that Man Utd have tracked Neves for a long time and various reports continue to push them forward as leading candidates to sign him.

According to O Jogo and Correio de Manha, Man Utd are showing more interest in Neves than anyone else.

Aware of the danger of losing the teenager, Benfica want to renew his deal again in 2024, increasing his release clause from €120m (£104m) to €150m (£130m).

Fortunately for them, Neves wants to keep developing with his current club. In fact, he has informed agent Jorge Mendes that he wants to complete the season there at least.

IN FOCUS – Who is Man Utd target Joao Neves – A deep dive into the potential Casemiro successor

It means Man Utd and any rival suitors are unlikely to be able to get their hands on Neves in January.

Still only 19 years old, the Portugal international has plenty of time to fulfil his potential, perhaps in another league to the one he currently plays in.

He has earned a good portion of Champions League experience this season as well, equipping him for a bright future in a competitive environment.

WEST HAM WANT WOLVES FRONTMAN

West Ham and Fulham have both made contact with Wolves for the signing of striker Sasa Kalajdzic. (Sport1)

Lazio are trying to sign Bournemouth winger Hamed Traore, who is also admired by Napoli, AC Milan and Fiorentina. (Gianluca Di Marzio)

Tottenham will make a move for Ajax prospect Stanis Idumbo Muzambo, but so will Sevilla. (Fabrizio Romano)

Serhou Guirassy is ready to leave Stuttgart for the best project available to him after becoming a target for AC Milan, Man Utd and Tottenham. (Gazzetta Dello Sport)

Claudio Echeverri’s agent has confirmed his transfer from River Plate to Manchester City has been agreed. (Calciomercato)

In addition to Man Utd’s Raphael Varane, Real Madrid have Goncalo Inacio, Giorgio Scalvini, Rafa Marin and Robert Renan on a centre-back shortlist. (Sport)

FOREST CLOSE IN ON FIRST NUNO SIGNING

Nuno Espirito Santo wants to make Monaco winger Gelson Martins one of his first Nottingham Forest signings. (A Bola)

Wolves are back in pursuit of Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia, who would be available for €20m. (Il Mattino)

Napoli have no interest in an obligation to buy Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, so have turned to Udinese’s Lazar Samardzic instead. (Tuttomercatoweb)

Crystal Palace could sign Boca Juniors’ Cristian Medina to loan him to another club in John Textor’s network, Botafogo. (O Globo)

Sevilla have set an asking price for full-back Marcos Acuna at €9m, which is lower than what Aston Villa offered them in the summer. (Vamos Mi Sevilla)

Man City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are monitoring Girona winger Savio. (Diari de Girona)

REAL READY TO REPLACE KEPA

Real Madrid have identified Penarol’s Randall Rodriguez as a backup goalkeeper target to replace Chelsea loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga. (AS)

Roma are in advanced talks with Union Berlin defender Leonardo Bonucci and could also target West Ham’s Thilo Kehrer if they can cancel Renato Sanches’ loan from Paris Saint-Germain. (Gazzetta Dello Sport)

Getafe are close to signing Ilaix Moriba from RB Leipzig. (Mundo Deportivo)

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler is of interest to Sevilla, Real Betis and Villarreal. (Foot Mercato)

AC Milan have agreed to sign Matija Popovic from Partizan Belgrade. (Calciomercato)

Napoli have agreed in principle to sign Davide Faraoni from Hellas Verona. (Gazzetta Dello Sport)