According to reports from Portugal, Liverpool have thrown their name into the ring for a highly coveted teenage talent.

The print edition of O Jogo claimed (via Sport Witness) that the Reds have ‘joined the race’ to sign Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, who’s also been linked with Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

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The 19-year-old currently has a release clause of €120m (£103m) in his contract at the Estadio da Luz, although his employers are reportedly seeking to increase this by 25% to an eye-watering €150m (£128m).

There’s no mention of offers being tabled or even talks being entered into in the report, so the interest appears to be at a preliminary stage.

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O Jogo’s report described Neves as a ‘laboratory weapon’, such is his burgeoning talent, and a closer look at his performance metrics would suggest that he already boasts a phenomenal skill set.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 20% of midfielders in Europe over the past year for a range of attributes, most notably passes attempted (79.7 per match, 98th percentile), blocks made (two per game, 97th percentile), tackles won (three per match, 92nd percentile) and pass completion (88%, 91st percentile).

The teenager has already played 66 times for Benfica’s first team (Transfermarkt), and he could potentially line out against Liverpool in a few weeks’ time if both sides come through their respective Europa League quarter-finals, which’d then see them come face-to-face in the last four of the tournament.

There’s the potential for an intriguing narrative if the Reds are to appoint Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim as their next manager, and he in turn raids his current club’s arch-rivals for the precocious Neves.

While any transfer for the 19-year-old won’t materialise for some time yet, his name could be well worth keeping an eye on during the run-in to this season, especially if he finds himself playing at Anfield in a European semi-final in four weeks’ time.

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Liverpool had scouts present at one of the biggest fixtures in European football over the weekend, and they’d have been hugely impressed by what they witnessed from the man on whom they were reporting.

According to 90min, the Reds were among more than a dozen clubs who sent a delegation to the Estadio da Luiz for the Lisbon derby between Benfica and Sporting CP to keep tabs on Joao Neves, who made a telling impact on an extraordinary finale to the top-of-the-table Liga Portugal clash.

The home side were trailing 1-0 when, four minutes into stoppage time, the 19-year-old netted the equaliser – and there was still time for Casper Tengstedt to complete an extraordinary turnaround with his last-gasp winner.

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The equalising goal was obviously Neves’ standout contribution during a dramatic derby, but he’d already made a huge impression well before that 94th-minute intervention.

The midfielder earned the highest Sofascore rating of any player on the pitch with 8.5, showcasing his ability on the ball by completing 45 of his 50 passes (90% success rate) and four of his six dribbles, the most of any Benfica player.

However, it was his work out of possession which truly caught the eye. A haul of seven tackles and four interceptions would be quite praiseworthy on its own, but even those numbers were eclipsed by him winning an incredible 14 duels, giving a powerhouse display in the middle of the park.

With some questions still remaining about Liverpool’s defensive midfield options despite their summer revamp, Neves did everything he possibly could to catch the eye of the scouts from Merseyside on Sunday.

It wasn’t a lucky one-off performance, either. As per FBref, the 19-year-old ranks among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe for blocks, top 2% for passes attempted, top 4% for tackles and top 11% for aerial duels won and successful take-ons per 90 minutes.

Even at such a young age, the Benfica starlet already looks like a complete footballer. However, if the Reds are serious about trying to sign him, time could be of the essence, as the myriad other clubs who were watching him at the weekend could make their move with haste.

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