Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Renato Sanches, Mattia Perin Rumours

Manchester United have reportedly met officials of Benfica for the second time, as a January transfer of star midfielder Renato Sanches seems to be edging closer.

According to Simon Jones and Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, the Red Devils are eager to come to an agreement before the summer and avoid a possible bidding war with other clubs. Sanches has a £60 million buyout clause, but Benfica is expected to sell for roughly half of that, with add-ons.

The 18-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom in the 2015-16 season, eclipsing team-mate and fellow starlet Goncalo Guedes after only making his debut in October.

The Portugal youth international is at his best in a role as a central attacking midfielder, although he has all of the tools to play out wide as well. He has remarkable physical strength for such a young player, complemented with superb pace and a large bag of trickery.

Here's a look at some of his highlights:

Sanches flashes tremendous potential as a ball-winner, distributor and scorer, although most of his current value lies in his ability to be a factor on the counter-attack. Right now, he's still a very raw player, and his tantalising potential is what's driving the high market price, rather than instant impact.

There are some huge question marks regarding the proposed deal, however. Sanches isn't just a relatively unknown player―he's a teenager who wasn't even playing regular football for Benfica's senior side four months ago. A £30 million fee is a huge chunk of money, no matter how talented Sanches may be.

Pundits Michael Owen and Steve McManaman made an appearance on BT Sport's Fletch and Sav, in which they laughed off rumours the club would be willing to trigger the full buyout clause:

"

"£60m for a teenager is bonkers!" Macca laughs off the idea of @ManUtd signing Renato Sanches. #FletchAndSav https://t.co/8jmsO2fnLJ

— Fletch And Sav (@FletchAndSav) January 23, 2016"

McManaman's suggestion of a £30 million deal with major incentives may sound appealing to Benfica, however, and should sound familiar to fans. Just last summer, the Red Devils struck a similar deal for a youngster most fans had never heard of, and most will agree the Anthony Martial transfer has to be considered a success after half a season.

Martial didn't have much experience on the Ligue 1 level, but Sanches is even more of an unknown. It would be prudent to wait for summer, but if the club fears a bidding war could erupt should the youngster continue to perform well, it's understandable they would push for a deal now.

Like the Martial deal, this move would likely result in a lot of criticism, although fans may be a little more patient and give the teenager a chance, given Martial's early success.

Mattia Perin Eyed?

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Italian football insider Gianluca Di Marzio (h/t Metro's Will Giles) reports United are still looking at young goalkeepers, given David de Gea's persistent links with Real Madrid, and Genoa's Mattia Perin is currently being scouted.

The 23-year-old has long been touted as one of Italy's next great keepers but is yet to make the move to a top club. Given the emergence of a host of talented youngsters like Simone Scuffet and Gianluigi Donnarumma, now would be the time for Perin to make his mark on the biggest stage and increase his chances of becoming a regular for the national team.

Perin has always been a fantastic reflex keeper with a remarkable feel for coming off his line and strong hands, but he took a big step last season, showing improved technique when facing powerful shots. Here are some of his highlights:

A handful of loan deals and much work on his fundamentals seem to have paid off for the youngster, who used to bend his knees a lot before making saves and was frequently caught on high balls because of it. That no longer is the case, and Perin now looks ready for stardom.

The step up to a bigger club is expected soon, and while the likes of Juventus―who will need to replace Gianluigi Buffon eventually―will present an interesting destination, the Premier League is an option.

Whether Perin is ready to step up to a top team like United remains a question mark, however. De Gea struggled mightily at the start of his Red Devils career, and he was regarded a can't-miss when he made the move to England.

The Spaniard is still under contract with United and could be the team's long-term solution at the position, with Real Madrid currently facing a transfer ban, per Sport's Francesc J. Gimeno.

Follow @ReverschPass