Manchester United remain in contention to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves, Portuguese outlet Jornal de Noticias (today’s edition, page 1) claims.
The Red Devils are in the pursuit of a new midfielder, and it has been regularly mentioned that Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong is the priority target for new manager Erik ten Hag.
However, there have been occasional links with Neves in recent weeks, and it is now reported that United and Barcelona remain in the picture to sign the Portugal international.
Neves will enter the final two years of his Wolves contract next month, and it is claimed that the Midlands outfit want at least €50 million to sanction his sale this summer.
So far, there is an ‘impasse’ with no formal bids from either club. It is suggested that Neves could end up penning an extension, suppose there are no suitable offers.
Our view:
Neves has been a solid performer for Wolves. In the recent league campaign, he won an impressive 2.1 tackles and 1.2 interceptions, operating from the central/defensive midfield roles.
Aside from his defensive contributions, he also chipped in with four goals and two assists. His distribution was also efficient with an average of nearly 50 accurate passes per appearance.
Neves would be a quality signing for United with his good work rate, but as things stand, the club appear to be focusing their attention on De Jong, who is the ‘absolute priority‘ for Ten Hag.
If United can’t persuade Barcelona to sell De Jong, they could lodge a formal approach for Neves. Meanwhile, the Blaugrana’s interest in Neves could also work in the Red Devils’ favour.
Neves’ agent Jorge Mendes has already been in contact with the Catalan giants regarding him, and his arrival at Camp Nou could pave the way for De Jong’s move to Old Trafford.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com and SofaScore.com
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