Ruben Neves transfer: Man Utd hold upper hand over Barcelona and Arsenal
Robin Bairner
- 13 Jun 2022 12:58 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United have long been linked with a transfer for Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves and are favourites to land the Portugal midfielder ahead of Barcelona and Arsenal in the 2022 summer transfer window.
Man Utd’s need for central midfielders is evident as they saw Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic released at the end of their contracts, while Fred and Scott McTominay are not seen as players who in tandem will lead the Old Trafford club back to the pinnacle of the game.
Ruben Neves, though, is a wanted man. Arsenal also have a gap to plug in the heart of their midfield while Barcelona have been linked with a deal for the player, too. It is Man Utd who hold the cards in this battle, though.
Wolves appear willing to allow Neves to leave after five years at the club, during which time he has played over 200 fixtures and has won a reputation for his excellent long-range shooting. The Molineux club have apparently lined Benfica player Palhinha up as his replacement.
Man Utd will be able to guarantee Neves regular football, while the 25-year-old has expressed his pleasure in linking up with Cristiano Ronaldo at international level, a relationship that may attract him to Old Trafford.
“Obviously, Cristiano is the best player in the world and it's always good to play with him,” he told the media.
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Neves to Arsenal and Barcelona latest
While United’s transfer interest in Neves appears to be stepping up, Arsenal may rue missing out on the Champions League in this case. Such a fillet might have given them the edge in this race. He remains a viable option for the Emirates side.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are the outsiders in this race. Until the club’s well-established financial problems have been addressed – which could be partially done at the General Assembly on Thursday – they find themselves unable to compete in the market for such players. Barca are set to sell off a portion of their television rights and merchandising, which will ease their immediate problems but could hamper their competitiveness in the long-term.
The Catalans showed in January by signing Ferran Torres from Manchester City, big moves are not beyond them, but competing in the transfer market with Man Utd and Arsenal over Neves promises to be too much for them.
