Manchester United and Arsenal are set to go head-to-head to sign Ajax star David Neres this summer. The £45million-rated Brazilian cap has caught the eye of football’s elite clubs following stellar performances in the Champions League this season, scoring against both Real Madrid and Juventus.
Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund were already reportedly interested in signing the Ajax winger, and according to the Sun, Neres will be the subject of a transfer battle between two of England’s biggest clubs when the transfer window opens in July.
Neres arrived in Amsterdam for £13million from Sao Paulo in 2017, and has quickly gone on to become an integral part of the first-team set-up. His debut campaign yielded a return of 14 goals and 13 assists in the Dutch top flight, a tally he is almost match with eight goals and 11 assists.
A tricky wide player who has a keen eye for goal, Neres has shown himself to be adept on either flank and his creative influence has spearheaded his club’s title campaign. Ajax have not won the Eredivisie since 2014, and are currently ahead of reigning champions PSV Eindhoven on goal difference, having scored 106 goals from 30 league matches.
Neres has though stepped into the international spotlight with his European performances in a young Ajax side that have taken the competition by surprise.
He scored one of four sensational strikes at the Bernabeu in March, where Ajax felled the European champions, before keeping their quarter-final hopes alive with a stunning effort against Juventus at the Amsterdam Arena.
The Brazilian also earned his first international call-up last month, making his debut for the national side as a substitute in a friendly against the Czech Republic. Everton are also interested in Neres, according to the report, as are Chelsea, but their looming transfer ban could scupper any hopes of competing for the 22-year-old.