Ruben Neves to Barcelona in January: The state of play
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ midfielder Ruben Neves has been linked to many clubs over the last few months, with a transfer at the end of the season a looking like a possibility.
The Portuguese midfielder has been at Wolves since 2017 and has excelled for them, helping them earn promotion to the Premier League and finding his way into the national team squad.
Now, it seems as though his Wolves tenure is set to come to an end as several clubs across England and Europe are keeping an eye on his situation with a Barcelona move seriously an option.
READ: Ruben Neves' dream destination revealed amid Man Utd and Arsenal interest
There have been reports that a move could be sealed for Neves to move to the Camp Nou as early as January, which would be ideal for all three parties.
Neves transfer in January is possible
According to Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona are in ‘very advanced’ talks for a deal that would see Neves move to the club in January.
It’s believed that the Catalan club would be paying £44 million for the midfielder to join them in January and that the player is open to the transfer.
READ: Barcelona face Premier League competition for Neves
Neves only has 18 months left on his contract at the club and Wolves would be open to selling to get the highest possible fee for him, rather than have to negotiate smaller amounts.
❗️Barça's list of options for the pivot position:
- Rúben Neves
- Zubimendi
- Edson Alvarez
- Enzo Fernandez
- Ibrahim Sangaré
— @sport pic.twitter.com/pLVYDSNA64— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) October 24, 2022
Wolves have been working on extending Neves’ contract at the club but may not be able to do so as the player is ready to play at a higher level, such as at a Champions League club.
Previously, Neves has spoken about his desire to move to the club and that he’d be happy to do it: “Who wouldn’t want to try Barcelona? I think it’s a common question for all players," he said.
The 25-year-old added: "I'm going to do my job here [at Wolves] and I'm sure I have people working with me. I trust these people a lot for these situations.