Ruben Neves may find himself at the Nou Camp next season. Manager and ex-player Xavi Hernandez has already made informal contact with the Portuguese midfielder, according to Sport.
Neves is entering the second last year of his contract. He is one of Wolverhampton’s most prized assets, and they would not like to sell him for cheap. Technical director Scott Sellars said that they will consider a realistic offer for the midfielder.
Neves will add some much-needed steel to the Blaugrana midfield. Sergio Busquets is approaching 34, and has shown vulnerability in the last few seasons. Frenkie De Jong may too be on his way out, with Manchester United interested. Neves would be a quality addition in this case.
However, securing the services of the Portugal international may be a tough task. The Catalans are currently in a financial mess of sorts. They reportedly have an agreement in place for Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen for months. But owing to La Liga wage cap regulations, they need to sell them in order to be able to register the new additions. With Neves costing around 40 million, it would be a tall order for president Laporta to get him in the squad.
Neves to Barca: Whats The Verdict?
Barcelona have explored other ways too. They offered Wolves Oscar Mingueza, Nico Gonzalez, and Riqui Puig as a player swap. They may also offer concessions in the permanent signing of loanee Trincao to the Midlands outfit in exchange for Neves. Super agent Jorge Mendes is reportedly on the case as well.
Ruben Neves has proven his quality for the last few seasons. Ever since Wolves’ promotion in 2018 under Nuno Espirito Santos, Neves has been key for them. He may have reached his ceiling though with them. It is unlikely that they will be able to better their 7th place finishes and the quarter-final run to the Europa League in 2019/20. Neves may want to take a step up and seek a new challenge.
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