Newcastle and Manchester United compete for Benfica talent Daniel Pangaqui

Newcastle United have begun their efforts to sign young Portuguese right-back Daniel Panjaki from SL Benfica during the upcoming winter transfer window, but Manchester United have also entered the race for the 18-year-old, amid increasing interest in the player.

According to the Portuguese newspaper "O Jójó", as reported by "Sport Witness", Newcastle United and Manchester United are among the top four clubs monitoring the situation of Pangaqui, alongside FC Barcelona and Inter, after the clubs gathered information regarding the possibility of signing him. This interest comes after the levels the player has shown, even though he has not yet fully established himself in the first team of SL Benfica.

Banjaki has participated in three matches with the first team last season, totaling 155 minutes, and continued to feature this season, raising his total minutes played to 261, according to the report. He also played for 90 minutes in the win over Milan in the UEFA Europa League last month, and caught the eye with the Portugal U21 team after scoring a goal against the Czech Republic during the recent international break.

A report indicates that Benfica may agree to sell their player for a fee between €35 million and €40 million, without specifying a final value yet, with the possibility of financial demands rising to over €50 million if the player continues to develop. Bangaki is tied to the Portuguese club with a contract until 2031, which includes a release clause valued at €80 million, giving Benfica a strong position in negotiations. Newcastle may benefit from their signing of Amar Didic last summer, but competition from Manchester United, FC Barcelona, and Inter may make finalizing the deal more difficult.