Paris Saint-Germain have seen a €70 million bid for João Neves rejected, reports Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sport. Benfica reportedly had no hesitation about the rejection, but a deal does not seem too far away.

Neves has been of concrete interest to PSG for some time now, who have already reached a verbal agreement with the 19-year-old top talent. Neves is under contract at Estádio da Luz until mid-2028, which means that Benfica is in a strong position in the negotiations.

Neves has a release clause of 120 million euros in his contract, but PSG (for now) does not want to meet that. The Parisians hope that Benfica is willing to negotiate a lower transfer fee, but seventy million is far from enough for the top club from Lisbon.

Despite the rejected opening bid, it is expected that Benfica and PSG will soon reach an agreement. Portuguese media report that the difference between supply and demand is not that big anymore. Benfica would also be prepared to let Neves go for (slightly) less than 120 million.

PSG coach Luis Enrique has asked technical director Luis Campos to finalize the deal as soon as possible, in order to be able to use Neves in preparation for the upcoming season. If the transfer goes through, Neves will meet compatriots Vitinha, Danilo and Gonçalo Ramos in Paris. Renato Sanches, who is also officially still a player of the club, is almost certain to leave.

Neves, a central midfielder by trade, was also the subject of serious interest from Manchester United, who saw two bids for the Portuguese rejected earlier this month. Man United are now said to have shifted their focus to PSG's Manuel Ugarte, who may be prepared to let the Uruguayan go quicker once Neves is in.

Benfica is known for its excellent sales policy and the sky-high amount of millions it would receive from a sale of Neves would certainly not be an exception. It once earned huge amounts from João Félix (127 million), Enzo Fernández (121), Darwin Núñez (85), Rúben Dias (71) and Gonçalo Ramos (65).

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