Who is Geovany Quenda? Man United transfer priority who broke Cristiano Ronaldo's record

Sporting CP teenage sensation Geovany Quenda is on Manchester United's transfer radar. The 17-year-old is the latest player from Lisbon expected to make the move to Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Amorim have all made the switch from green and white to red. After replacing Erik ten Hag earlier this month, Amorim is already preparing for a busy January transfer window.

Sources have told MEN Sport that United have been keeping tabs on Quenda's progress since the start of the season. Amorim handed the winger his debut in August and he has played every single game since.

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Now, MEN Sport understands that United have met with super-agent Jorge Mendes about the potential signing of Quenda. Mendes' Gestifute agency is negotiating on behalf of the Sporting star's agent, Igor Campedelli. A source says Mendes has purchased half of Quenda's image rights.

United haven't made a formal bid for Quenda but figures in Portugal expect a move for the Portugal international to unfold in 2025. Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Liverpool and RB Leipzig are all showing interest.

So, with United putting in the footwork to bring Quenda to Manchester, we take a look at everything you need to know on the teenager and why United are looking at him...

Who is Geovany Quenda?

Born in 2007, Quenda moved to Portugal from Guinea-Bissau as a child before beginning his football pathway in Amadora. Benfica were quick to snap him up after inviting him to their academy campus in Seixal.

Following time in Benfica's youth ranks, where he won the Benjamins E2 District Championship, Quenda left the club at 13 to join rivals Sporting CP. Reports in Portugal say the decision came about after Benfica failed to provide a room for him at the Benfica Campus as promised.

"I was convinced that Geovany had to integrate into society. I believed that the best solution would be for him to go and live at the Academy," Basaula Lemba, Quenda's godfather told ZeroZero. "This move was agreed with Benfica, but when the championship ended, the club went back on their word, saying that they had no place for him. Quenda's father and I had a conversation with the coordinator, but the excuses were the same.

"At the end of the meeting, a director from Sporting called me. I don't know how the information got through, but the truth is that the club contacted me with an offer for the player. All these details matched what I wanted. However, Geovany's father was from Benfica and the boy already had great friends in the team.

"In the end, I ended up convincing them to embrace the new project."

At Sporting, Quenda flourished at the club's Cristiano Ronaldo Academy and helped the under-15s win the national championship. He also scored 20 goals for the under-17s in the same season. In 2023, Sporting tied him down to his first professional contract.

Quenda then enjoyed a quickfire rise through Sporting's ranks. He became the youngest ever player to play for Sporting's reserve team when he started against Amora at the age of 16. He played just nine games for the B team, following on from the 24 appearances for the under-23s.

His performances caught the eye of Amorim and he made a number of appearances in the first-team squad, named on the bench in a Liga Portugal win over Estrela Amadora and the Europa League last 16 tie with Atalanta.

This season, Quenda became a trusted player under Amorim as he adapted to play as a right wing-back. Naturally a right winger, the teenager did enough in pre-season to earn his first senior debut on August 3, where he became the youngest player (aged 17 years and 95 days) to score for Sporting in the 4-3 Supertaca Candido de Oliveira defeat to Porto.

He started the first league game of the season against Rio Ave as Sporting started the 2024/25 campaign on fire. Quenda agreed a contract extension to 2027 in Lisbon in September, with various reports claiming a £83m release clause was inserted.

Last month, Quenda surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo (17 years, eight months and three days) and Simao Sabrosa (17 years, six months and 16 days) in becoming the youngest player to score a league goal for Sporting in a 3-0 win over Famalicao, at 17 years, five months and 27 days.

Why do United want to sign him?

Well, the simple answer to that question is Ruben Amorim. The United boss put his trust in the teenager at the start of this season and is expected to play a big role in bringing him to Old Trafford.

"He's very talented, very mature and understands the game like an adult," he told Sporting CP after his performance in a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in pre-season. "He obviously has a lot to improve on, but I think he had an excellent game and we have a player there."

Quenda has also been vocal about his love for Amorim. "I will always thank him, he is a great coach, but now it is to continue working without him and let's do it," he said.

In Amorim's system, Amad and Antony have been used in the right wing-back role so far. Both players are naturally right wingers but are being utilised to welcome Amorim's style of play in Manchester.

Quenda's arrival would make sense for United for two big reasons. His ability to play in this specific style of play is one and being only 17 means there is an array of potential for him to grow into.