Manchester United remain confident a deal can be “pre-agreed” to sign Sporting CP starlet Geovany Quenda despite a significant gulf in each side’s respective valuation of the wing-back.
Quenda, 17, is one of the most highly-regarded youngsters in European football after breaking into the first-team in Lisbon under Ruben Amorim.
The wonderkid has drawn comparisons to Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka with his devastating dribbling and outstanding physical profile. He has scored two goals and provided five assists this season, despite often playing at wing-back.
Amorim, who swapped Portugal for England in November to take over at Old Trafford, is a huge fan of Quenda and wants his new club to reunite him with the 17-year-old to take over the right wing-back slot.
Quenda signed a new contract at the José Alvalade Stadium in September which included an £83 million release clause.
However, there is acceptance amongst Sporting officials the 17-year-old will be sold for a smaller fee than this.
United are reported to value Quenda at around £33 million. By comparison, Sporting judge their academy graduate to be worth “closer to the £50 million mark”.
Ben Jacobs (Give Me Sport) contends this “gulf in valuation is something that all parties are going to have to work” with Quenda described as “certainly keen on a move” to Old Trafford.
The reporter reveals the Red Devils remain optimistic a compromise can be struck as “talks are progressing to see whether something can be pre-agreed ahead of the summer.”
The pursuit of Quenda, who is believed to have been a target for United before Amorim’s arrival, represents a new approach by the club to target the best youngsters across world football.
There is also a strong emphasis on players with outstanding physical attributes, as the current cohort of players at Old Trafford are woefully short on speed and strength.
Quenda – widely seen as the best prospect to emerge from Portuguese youth football in recent times – ticks each one of these boxes and it’s evident why United’s head coach is so keen to reunite with the 17-year-old in Manchester.
Featured image Gualter Fatia via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
