Benfica Target Manchester United Keeper
Reuters / Jason Cairnduff
Benfica will attempt to persuade Manchester United to sell their goalkeeper, Joel Pereira, once the summer transfer window opens.
According to reports in Portuguese news outlet O Jogo (via Sport Witness), Benfica have initiated contact with the Premier League giants about the possibility of signing the goalkeeper, who is rated very highly by everyone at Old Trafford, none more so than first-team manager Jose Mourinho.
The report recently claimed that the Red Devils are keen on signing the Portuguese club’s 23-year-old shot-stopper Ederson, and it is likely that Benfica will ask a deal for Pereira to go through if their keeper goes the other way.
David De Gea seems set to leave Manchester United in the summer, as Real Madrid are believed to have finally won the tussle with the club for the Spanish no. 1. As a result, the Old Trafford outfit are looking for replacements in the transfer market, and are keen on signing Ederson, who supposedly has a £51m release clause in his contract.
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Benfica are desperate to sign a new keeper as well. With several top clubs circling around Ederson, their only back-up at the moment is Paulo Lopes, who is set to retire at the end of the season. Hence, bringing a new, young keeper will be the priority in the summer.
Pereira has made just one senior appearance for United, but Benfica have noted his progress for the Red Devils’ reserves, and got a close up glimpse of him while he was on loan at Portuguese club Belenenses.
Mourinho will not be willing to let go of Pereira that easily, though, as he believes the 20-year-old can be the best Portuguese keeper of the next generation.
“We have two fantastic goalkeepers,” Mourinho recently stated.
“We have a third goalkeeper [Pereira] that I think will be the best Portuguese goalkeeper of the next generation. We have great goalkeepers and [against] anyone in the world I trust [them] completely.”
Written by Reyhan Ashley Nath 
Manchester United fan, Wayne Rooney is his role model. Passionate writer who has written for several sites in the past. He’s also an aspiring pianist and creates background music for BlameFootball’s Youtube channel.