United Close To Signing Renato Sanches

United Close To Signing Renato Sanches

Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have been linked to the signing of Renato Sanches but from all indications it appears according to the Daily Star Manchester United have won the race to sign the highly rated youngster.

The 18-year-old who rose through Benfica’s youth ranks is thought to have a great future ahead of him and reports have it that United and Benfica have an agreement in place for his signing ahead of the summer transfer window.

So what do you need to know about this young Portugal international?


He was born in Cape Verde islands but was raised in the city of Lisbon after his parents migrated to Portugal when he was very young. At age nine he was already high rated by Benfica academy staff. He was at 17 promoted to Benfica B side.

Having spent just one season with Benfica B who are playing in the second division of the Portuguese league, Sanches was in 2015 called up to the first team. He was merely used for training purpose at the beginning but soon made his debut for the senior team in October 2015 in a match against Tondela.

At this stage, so many clubs were already been linked to his signing. To ensure they do not lose him on the cheap to other bigger clubs, Benfica in November (just one month after he broke into the first team) offered Sanches a new contract which included a €45m (£35m) release clause.

He was given his first start in the team in a 2-2 draw in the UEFA champions league match against Astana.

Despite playing in the midfield role, Sanches is not known to be a very prolific player and as of the time of writing this article, he only has scored twice in 17 appearances. However, his lack of goals can be explained by the fact that he plays mostly as a box to box midfielder for Benfica. His passing ability and composure are making him the darling of many big European clubs.

His style of play and braided hair has drawn comparisons to legendary Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids. His physical style of play will be well suited to United should the Red devils manage to pull off his signing. Although quite inexperienced, Sanches plays with a swagger and self-assurance, never one to go hiding, many of Benfica’s attacks start from him.

He is the sort of player Manchester United could do with especially as Michael Carrick could leave the club this summer at the end of his contract.

Contributed by Jens Keinert