How much will Man Utd, Arsenal & Barcelona target Ruben Neves cost?
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ midfielder Ruben Neves is attracting plenty of interest this season after a series of impressive performances.
Neves joined Wolves from Porto in 2017 for a £15.8 million fee and is enjoying arguably his best campaign yet, with Wolves sitting in eighth and still fighting for a Europa League place.
There are several clubs interested in the Portuguese midfielder, with Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal looking to pick up a player from a Premier League rival and foreign interest coming from Barcelona.
Regardless of where he goes, it is clear Wolves will make a significant profit on the 25-year-old.
How much will Ruben Neves cost?
Neves has a contract at Molineux for a further two years, running until 2024, having extended the midfielder’s deal when they reached the Premier League in 2018.
The extension was richly deserved as Neves was crucial to their promotion hopes, and he has repaid that faith with some strong displays in the top-flight.
The club want to extend his contract even further and are believed to be in talks with agent Jorge Mendes, but that may be difficult if interest in the player from other clubs intensifies.
There is a belief that Neves will now cost any club upwards of £50m, and it may be worthwhile for a player yet to enter his peak years and one who has already had a fine career so far.
Arsenal seem to be most interested, while potential new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may also look to bring him in to bolster his team’s midfield.
Inside the mind of a genius.
🧠 @rubendsneves_ pic.twitter.com/Xg5KeoOEUr— Wolves (@Wolves) April 11, 2022
Wolves manager Bruno Lage knows it’ll be difficult to keep hold of Neves this summer, especially if interest comes from a Champions League club.
“I know he’s having a fantastic season,” said Lage.
“He’s back to what he did in the past, and that’s the kind of player we can have with us if we want to create a good team - a big player who can put us on a different level.
“But this is football and you never know – the way he plays I can see other teams are looking for him also.”
This could be a long-standing transfer saga this summer, as clubs look to improve their midfield with a player as talented as Neves.