Manchester United could raise the pressure to sign River Plate midfielder Enzo Fernandez amid interest from Benfica, Portuguese outlet Record (today’s edition, page 4) claims.
The 21-year-old is regarded as one of Argentina’s best young midfielders and his progress has already caught the eye of several top European clubs.
Among those are Benfica, who have recently made contact with River Plate, but they are reluctant to meet the player’s €20 million release clause.
Amidst this, it has been reported that United and Manchester City could raise the pressure to sign the midfielder in the next transfer window.
Any interested club would still need to convince Fernandez, who wants to stay with River Plate this year to boost his World Cup selection prospects.
Our view:
Fernandez is having a terrific year at River Plate, having registered eight goals and five assists from just 18 appearances.
His impressive showing has grabbed United’s attention. They have already watched his performances on a few occasions.
Hence, the transfer interest is not a surprise. The 21-year-old could be seen as a quality long-term signing under manager Erik ten Hag.
Fernandez generally operates from the defensive or central midfield role, and has the knack for making regular forward runs.
However, he is equally good defensively with an average of 1.7 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per league appearance this term.
It remains to be seen whether United can convince Fernandez over a summer move amid his World Cup dream with Argentina.
He wants to continue at River Plate until December. With the low transfer cost, United could be tempted to accept his demands to sign him.
City could be United’s main rivals for the midfielder, having already signed Julian Alvarez from River Plate at the beginning of the year.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com and WhoScored.com
