Liverpool have been told to pay FULL £102m release clause for Joao Neves

Liverpool must pay the full £120m release clause if they’re to sign one of the world’s most promising young midfielders.

Fabrizio Romano claims Benfica will demand the full release clause from clubs hoping to sign Joao Neves this summer. The 19-year-old has been a revelation over the last year or so, becoming one of the most promising midfielders in football.

And so the Portuguese giants know they won't need to sell him on the cheap. 18 months after securing over £110m for Enzo Fernandez, Benfica believe they can hold out for another enormous sum.

Neves's clause sits at around £102m. That's the figure, then, if anyone is desperate to sign him this summer and Benfica aren't interested in any negotiation.

Liverpool and Joao Neves

Liverpool have been linked with Neves since last summer and Record recently suggested that interest still stands. They report that Manchester United saw a £51m bid rejected recently as they tried to steal a march on transfer rivals.

And as it turns out, that offer was around half of what Benfica expect for their prized asset.

So should Liverpool get properly involved at that price? That's the big question but it's not an easy one to answer.

On the one hand, Neves could well become one of the world's best midfielders as he's certainly got the talent to make it happen. £102m could secure him for at least the next five years - and potentially beyond.

But it's an awful lot of money for a player who isn't the finished product and who might not actually become the star midfielder he appears destined to be. Not everyone lives up to their promise, after all.

Liverpool will only entertain an offer in that region if they're certain and we're not sure anyone can be that certain about Neves. It just doesn't feel like the kind of transfer the Reds make - but the money is there as they showed last summer with Moises Caicedo.

We'll have to wait and see on this one, then.