Manchester United Transfer News: Benfica Dismiss Mile Svilar Exit Rumours

Benfica President Luis Filipe Vieira has dismissed rumours Manchester United have "reserved" star youngster Mile Svilar, saying the club has already turned down a huge offer for the goalkeeper.

As reported by Metro, Svilar has been linked at length with United since he made his debut for Benfica earlier this season and faced the Red Devils twice. Per Sport Witness, the rumours originally came from Portugal, where multiple outlets reported on the story:

Vieira told BTV the teenager isn't going anywhere, however (via Metro): "We have followed him since he was 15. We've already had an offer for him, four times what we paid and where we would keep him for another two years. It's important to note, Svilar is 18 and only focused on Benfica. He won't leave."

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The Belgium youth international―who is also eligible to represent Serbia―has long been regarded as one of Europe's top talents at the goalkeeper position. He was a standout for Anderlecht's youth setup and became the topic of speculation after his heroics against Barcelona in the UEFA Youth League.

As you can see in the videos below, the Belgian side knocked the Spanish giants out of the tournament in consecutive years, and Svilar played a role in the upset wins.

But Anderlecht didn't give the stopper the chances he wanted in the senior team, leading to his exit during the summer. While Benfica weren't expected to give him starts immediately, it gave Svilar the opportunity to move to a bigger club renowned for developing players.

The 18-year-old has taken full advantage of the struggles of the players ahead of him to grab the starting position, however, and while there have been some growing pains, his talent is as clear as day.

His strong form has also led to a tug of war between Belgium and Serbia, who both want him to represent their country. The former's manager, Roberto Martinez, recently talked about the youngster, praising his mental fortitude after he made a costly mistake against United, per Portuguese football expert Jan Hagen:

Svilar's confidence is arguably his biggest strength and what allowed him to bounce back from that error. He has good physical tools and strong reflexes on his line, as well as excellent feet for a stopper.

He has to get better at dealing with crosses―something that was made painfully clear when he carried Marcus Rashford's looping effort across his own goal line in October―but that's usually something goalkeepers get better at over time. United stopper David De Gea had the same weakness when he came to England in 2011.

Svilar only recently moved clubs and finds himself in a great place to continue his development. He shouldn't be thinking about a transfer and is unlikely to leave Portugal in the near future.