Arsenal insist on signing Portugal international who rejected Man Utd and Liverpool, as likely next club is named
Arsenal sense an opportunity to sign Wolves ace Ruben Neves, and a report has revealed who’ll win the transfer race that also includes Man Utd, Liverpool and Barcelona.
Neves, 25, is one of the Premier League’s most accomplished central midfielders. He is a regular in the Portugal national squads too and looks a shoe-in to feature in the Qatar World Cup.
However, his future at Molineux is far less certain.
Neves is out of contract in the summer of 2024 and varying reports all agree he is unlikely to pen fresh terms.
That gives Wolves a decision to make and a sale next summer could represent the ideal time to cash in to avert the risk of losing him for free.
With Matheus Nunes arriving for a club-record £38m from Sporting Lisbon, Wolves may have already signed his direct replacement anyway.
Neves was heavily linked with Arsenal over the summer. The Gunners sought a new central midfielder and Neves was one of three Premier League options to emerge.
The others were Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz and Leicester star Youri Tielemans.
Ultimately, Arsenal opted against pulling the trigger, while Neves too was not on the move.
He emerged as a genuine contender to join Manchester United once a Frenkie de Jong deal collapsed. Liverpool’s need for midfield recruits has been well documented and requires no further explanation.
Today’s Transfer Gossip claimed Neves turned his nose up at the prospect of joining United or Liverpool this summer. Instead, the Portugal ace has his sights set on joining Barcelona.
Xavi’s side are known admirers and will be hunting a Sergio Busquets replacement at season’s end.
Ruben Neves next club named
Now, a fresh report from Spanish outlet Sport details another English suitor Barcelona must overcome – Arsenal.
They state Mikel Arteta’s side will ‘insist’ on signing Ruben Neves in 2023.
The Gunners are all too aware the reported £50m+ valuation Wolves held out for last summer will decrease as his contract wares down.
He’d represent a readymade addition to the engine room, though the report reckons the race is Barcelona’s to lose.
Sport state Neves is prioritising a move to Barca above all others and may be of the view his cycle in England is coming to an end.
The article concluded ‘Barca is still bigger than Arsenal’ despite the Gunners’ recent revival under Arteta. Clearly they’re of the opinion Barcelona is a far more appealing prospect than Arsenal.
Whether Neves sees it that way should become clear in 2023.
