Benfica Set Eye-Watering Asking Price for Manchester United and Wolves target Carlos Vinicius
By Ali Rampling
Benfica have set a lofty asking price for Manchester United and Wolves target Carlos Vinicius, with the Portuguese outfit not allowing him to depart unless his €100m release clause is met.
Vinicius has enjoyed an impressive debut season in the Primeira Liga following his £15m move from Napoli last summer.
The Brazilian striker tops the divisions scoring charts, having hit 15 goals in 22 appearances.
His form has seen him linked with a move to the Premier League, with Wolves, Manchester United and Liverpool all interested.
Despite the coronavirus outbreak hitting clubs' finances hard, this is not affecting Benfica's negotiating position. According to the Mirror, the club are refusing to budge from Vinicius' hefty release clause, and will accept nothing less than €100m for the player.
Vinicius is represented by Jorge Mendes, who has a close relationship with the Wolves owners. He has been instrumental in orchestrating numerous moves to Molineux, including Raul Jimenez, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.
However, Wolves are not expected to spend heavily following the coronavirus outbreak, with Benfica's nine-figure asking price quite the jump from the club record fee of £30m that they paid for Jimenez in 2019.
United have been linked with a move for Vinicius due to the uncertainty surrounding January signing Odion Ighalo's long-term future.
However, United's priorities in the transfer window remain securing deals for Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish.
In April, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward conceded that the coronavirus' impact on football finances may prevent the club from spending lucratively in the summer, suggesting a €100m move for Vinicius would be unlikely.
Benfica are keen to keep hold of their 25-year-old forward, with boss Bruno Lage seeing him as the focal point for the foreseeable future.
"He is the right man to lead Benfica for many years", Lage said.
"He is the man who has brought joy to Benfica fans. We are happy with him and he is happy with us. That is what matters."