“He’s playing in a different reality” - Jose Mourinho responds after Chelsea star claims he would love to play under the Portuguese manager

Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has hailed Chelsea ace Pedro Neto as one of the world's best in his position, responding to his wish to play under him. Mourinho's side are set to face the Blues in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, with both clubs looking to pick up their first points.

Portugal international Neto hailed Mourinho as a revolutionary figure in Portuguese football and expressed his desire to be managed by him. The former Real Madrid tactician showed a measure of respect for the 25-year-old while he spoke at his press conference on Monday, but admitted that his side cannot afford a player of Neto's stature.

“Neto is one of the best wingers in the world. Enzo Maresca is privileged because he has three, four players of a similar profile. Of course, I would love to have Pedro Neto at Benfica, but he's playing in a different reality with a different finances", he said via GOAL.

Much of the build-up to the tie between Chelsea and Benfica has been centered around Jose Mourinho's homecoming to Stamford Bridge. He enjoyed two hugely successful spells at the London club, winning the Premier League on three separate occasions.

Mourinho was appointed as Benfica boss after the club decided to part ways with Bruno Lage following their defeat to Qarabag in their Champions League opener two weeks ago. 'The Special One', as Mourinho is known, was relieved of his duties by Fenerbahce earlier this season, having been knocked out of Champions League qualifying by Benfica.

Former Benfica boss reveals details of failed transfer from Chelsea

Former Benfica manager Bruno Lage has revealed the reason behind the club's failure to sign Joao Felix from Chelsea on the summer. The Portugal international was strongly linked with a return to his boyhood club before eventually ending up at Al-Nassr.

Bruno Lage revealed to A Bola in an interview that Benfica did all they could to sign Felix but did not manage to meet Chelsea's demands. He pointed out that the Blues were keen to protect their initial investment on the forward and wanted to recoup most of their initial investment.

"I started to believe Joao could come. He's arriving in Portugal, and I'm leaving on vacation. I was at the airport when I received his statement and called him. I spoke to him and told him that if he said that publicly, he was opening doors, and I would speak to the president to make his wishes come true, as it was everyone's wish.

But Chelsea, which paid what it did for Joao, was always intransigent about the fees to be paid, and it would be very difficult for Benfica, despite having done almost everything possible to bring back a homegrown player. Joao showed a huge desire to return to Benfica and also understood the entire team I was trying to build, where he could be a very important piece, but Chelsea's demands were impossible", he said via GOAL.

Joao Felix ended up moving to Saudi Arabia, where he now plays alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. The Blues managed to agree on a deal that could rise to €50 million for the 25-year-old, who has spent the last few years bouncing around clubs.