Wolves use unusual swap strategy to find Ruben Neves replacement who had World Cup final impact
Wolves are being linked with a World Cup winner as a replacement for Ruben Neves, but getting him may require negotiations with two different clubs.
Neves is about to enter the final year of his contract at Molineux. Therefore, Wolves might have to sell their star man in the summer. After all, they could fetch a decent transfer fee by cashing in on him.
Evidently, the Portugal international is capable of reaching the next level. To get there, he might want to test himself with another team, such as Liverpool. With that in mind, Wolves should be bracing themselves for his departure.
Part of their process will be to search for potential successors to Neves that they can sign for themselves. And in that regard, a report from Italy has now detailed how things could unfold.
According to Calciomercato.it, Juventus have established themselves as one of Neves’ main suitors. In turn, Wolves are said to be looking at one of the midfielders currently at Juventus to take his place.
The possible replacement in question is Leandro Paredes, who is currently on loan with the Serie A side from Ligue 1 champions, Paris Saint-Germain.
Paredes hasn’t enjoyed the best spell with Juventus – failing to score or make an assist from 16 league appearances – so his future there is up for question. It seems likely he will be returned to PSG at the end of the season.
From there, he will have to find a new club if there are no plans to reintegrate him. After all, his contract back in Paris is due to expire at the same time as Neves’ with Wolves.
And the solution, according to the report, could be for Paredes to move to Molineux.
Hence, he and Neves could essentially swap places, even if Wolves would be buying Paredes from PSG, not Juventus.
Paredes could get first Premier League chance with Wolves
It would then be over to the former Roma and Zenit midfielder to prove himself in the Premier League. Paredes has never played for an English club before.
But he has decent pedigree on the international stage. Indeed, he was in Argentina’s squad for their World Cup win in December, scoring a penalty in the final’s shootout against France.
Paredes will be 29 years old by the time next season starts. In this case, his better days may be behind him. That said, he should still have something to offer.
Neves’ boots will be big ones to fill in the Wolves squad. He has been a classy player for them ever since his arrival from Porto. But it appears the end of an era could be approaching.
In the bigger picture, Wolves will have to find the next Neves to develop over the long term. But right now, their immediate priority will be replacing the quality he brings to the team in whichever way possible.
And their planning seems to have led them to Paredes as one potential option.
