Rumour: Manchester City plot eye-watering €120 million offer for Paris Saint-Germain star | OneFootball

Fresh rumours swirling in the transfer space now centre around Manchester City and potential interest in Paris Saint-Germain’s Joao Neves.

While City’s summer business already saw midfield additions such as Tijjani Reijnders arrive from AC Milan, speculation has consistently linked the Etihad Stadium club with further long-term reinforcements in the heart of the pitch.

The departure of İlkay Gündoğan, uncertainty around Mateo Kovačić’s role, and Bernardo Silva’s contract all highlight an area of the squad Guardiola continues to evolve, with City previously monitoring targets in Germany and Italy as part of their wider succession planning.

Joao Neves, who made his breakthrough at Benfica before a high-profile switch to PSG, has long been admired across the continent for his intelligence on the ball, positional discipline, and ability to dictate tempo in possession.

Still only 20 years-old, his potential ceiling has led to comparisons with some of the very best operators within the game including Rodri, a figure central to Manchester City’s style of play and one whom the club have been keen to find eventual cover for.

The story also ties into Guardiola’s ongoing pursuit of players capable of offering flexibility in multiple midfield roles. Previous reports this year highlighted City’s interest in Bayern Munich profiles as part of their Rodri contingency planning, while internally the manager continues to test academy prospects such as Divine Mukasa in advanced central roles.

Now, Neves’ combination of youth, European experience through UEFA Champions League success as recently as last season, and tactical versatility would clearly appeal to Manchester City’s recruitment model.

According to a new report from Fichajes, Joao Neves has sparked the interest of Guardiola, who believes the midfielder would be the ‘perfect complement’ to his central ranks, subsequently asking the board to ‘make an effort’ to secure his signing.

Pep Guardiola is further said to have privately praised Joao Neves, convinced that the 20-year-old would be a strategic signing for Manchester City.

Aware of the difficulty of any potential deal, it is claimed that Manchester City are preparing an initial offer of €120 million  for the Portugal international, while PSG are not considering parting ways with the player, viewing him as a key part of their immediate future.

Should the rumours bear weight, Manchester City may find themselves in a familiar scenario of needing to negotiate with a club determined to keep hold of a prized asset – a matter that they are more often hesitant to engage themselves in.

PSG, fresh from a summer of rebalancing their own squad including the decision to offload Gianluigi Donnarumma to Manchester City in favour of Lucas Chevalier, are unlikely to sanction a major midfield exit unless forced by player preference or an extraordinary bid.

From Manchester City’s perspective, Joao Neves could represent both a statement signing and a solution to easing the burden on Rodri, whose importance to Pep Guardiola’s structure has left the team vulnerable during his absences.

For now, the staggering €120 million figure attached to this latest report underlines both the financial muscle Manchester City would need to flex and the high regard in which Joao Neves is held within European football.