Liverpool and Arsenal send scouts to watch €120m player who Man Utd 'want to replace Casemiro'

Liverpool and Arsenal have sent scouts to watch a player Manchester United have cited as their long-term Casemiro replacement.

As per Sport Witness, Arsenal and Liverpool are both interested in Benfica midfielder João Neves, and sent scouts to Lisbon on Sunday to watch the player's performance in a 2-1 derby against Sporting.

Referencing the above reports, Portuguese outlet Record claimed that Benfica did not have any intention of letting Neves go in the coming window, and plan to keep the player until at least the end of the 2024/25 season.

Moreover, the publication alleged that interested parties would have to trigger the 19-year-old’s €120million (£104million) release clause to have any chance of signing the player.

Indeed, Neves, who made 17 appearances for Benfica’s title-winning campaign last term, has also been linked to a move to Old Trafford.

Last month, Catalan publication Nacional claimed that the United hierarchy was not happy with Casemiro’s performances and regretted signing the Brazilian from Real Madrid.

United reportedly want to sign Neves as a replacement and are willing to offer a fee of at least £61million to secure his signature.

Luis Castro, who worked with Neves coming through the ranks at Benfica, claimed the youngster would have no problems adapting to English football.

"He is not behind any of Benfica's other midfielders," he said, speaking to O Jogo. "On the contrary, he will be at a higher level. He is the most complete of all. He plays in the Champions League as if it were training or an exercise.

"His quality is visible to everyone, he does everything well. At this age he seems to have more experience, it's the result of the speed at which his brain works.

“He has great defensive and offensive positioning, he knows the whole game, it's not surprising that is at this level. He's very strong in every aspect, even in the air, which at first glance may seem like he doesn't have any.

"The Premier League is the best league in the world and not only would it be able to adapt, it would play and shine."

Topics: Football, Casemiro, Transfers, Premier League, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Benfica

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.