Manchester United have joined fierce rivals Manchester City in the race to sign Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis.
The 20-year-old star, who has drawn comparisons with Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante due to his battling style of play, was wanted by City boss Pep Guardiola in the summer.
However the Spaniard decided against stepping up his pursuit and instead signed Rodri from Atletico Madrid as a long-term replacement for the ageing Fernandinho.
City remain interested in the defensive midfielder but Portuguese outlet A Bola has claimed that United recently sent scouts to watch the Benfica talent.
It was reported that the Red Devils sent scouts to watch Benfica’s 4-0 win at Sporting Braga earlier this month to keep an eye on Luis and his team-mate Ruben Dias.
And they would have no doubt been impressed with what they saw as Luis put in a bright performance and helped his side secure another clean sheet.
Luis is highly rated by Benfica and signed a new contract this summer that extended his stay with the Portuguese giants until 2024.
And, crucially, the club increased his release clause from €60m (£54m) to €120m (£108m).
Indeed, the starlet is one of Europe's hottest properties and like Chelsea star Kante, he has an ability to break up play and spring quick offensives for his own side.
Upon signing his new deal, he said: "I look at my progress in training with great pride because it has been very good. I was fortunate to have great conditions, coaches and colleagues who helped me evolve with each training session and every game to get where I am now.
"We have goals, but we always try to do things step by step, to live in the present, because if we do not, we can hardly achieve what we want."
