Benfica have reportedly made it clear that Manchester United have no chance of landing Carlos Vinicius unless they trigger the forward’s €100 million buy-out clause.
The Red Devils are on the observation post for a new striker, with Odion Ighalo’s future up in the balance as he nears the end of his loan deal, and the 25-year-old has emerged as a serious target ahead of the summer market.
Vinicius racked up 15 goals and four assists for Aguias before the coronavirus crisis brought the Liga NOS season to a halt and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes South American has the ability to hold down a starting spot at the club.
However, United would have to make an enormous bid to convince Benfica to part with their player, according to The Daily Mirror.
They have no intention of doing business with interested sides for anything less than Vinicius’ £89m exit clause.
The Portuguese side stand to make a hefty profit on the man after paying Napoli just £15 million for his signature last July.
Wolves have also declared an interest in Vinicius in recent weeks and the striker’s high-profile entourage, Jorge Mendes, could be key to brokering a potential agreement.
Jorge has a close relationship with Wolves’ Chinese owners and represents senior team stars Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Joao Moutinho, Daniel Podence, Pedro Neto and Rui Patricio.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are allegedly still pushing to snap up Juventus centre-back and Manchester United target Matthijs de Ligt.
He has made 27 appearances for the Old Lady this campaign but his form has been called into question, and it has been claimed that the Dutchman could be on his way out of the Italian giants this summer.