Man Utd, Liverpool poised to strike with £40m target ‘set’ to leave Premier League rivals this summer

Ruben Neves and Youri Tielemans

Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves is reportedly ‘set’ to leave the club at the end of the season, amid interest from Manchester United and Liverpool. 

The Portugal international’s contract at Molineux is set to expire in June 2024, meaning that this summer is Wolves’ last opportunity to get a decent return for his services.

Neves has been a key player for the Midlands club for a number of years, so Julen Lopetegui will have a big task bringing in a replacement for him.

Indeed, since joining Wolves in 2017, the centre midfielder has made 246 appearances, scoring 29 goals and making 12 assists in the process.

Neves has also made a name for himself as someone who loves to score screamers against big teams, something that Arsenal and Man Utd would no doubt love to have at their disposal.

The 26-year-old became Wolves captain at the start of the season after Conor Coady joined Everton, showing how important he is to the team.

However, according to the Telegraphhe is now set to leave Molineux, with Wolves demanding a fee in the region of £40m for his services.

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Man Utd, Liverpool to battle for Neves

As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Neves is the subject of interest from both Manchester United and Liverpool, with both sides strongly considering making a move for him this summer.

Along with the Premier League trio, Barcelona and Real Madrid are also ‘monitoring’ Neves, so there is certainly no shortage of interest in his signature.

Man Utd could be set to lose more than one centre-mid this summer, with Scott McTominay being heavily linked with a switch to Newcastle, while the Red Devils could turn down the chance to sign Marcel Sabitzer permanently from Bayern Munich.

With that in mind, Erik ten Hag could look to bring in Neves, who would provide some quality cover for the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are arguably more desperate for midfield recruits, with James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho all past their prime.

Until recently, Jurgen Klopp’s number one target was thought to be Jude Bellingham, but with the Reds pulling out of the race for the Dortmund superstar – he is now looking at other options.

Neves has already proven he has the quality to succeed in the Premier League and it is believed his preference would be to stay in England – so both Man Utd and Liverpool have a good chance of signing him.

Whether or not they are willing to meet Wolves’ £40m price tag, however, remains to be seen.

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