Wolverhampton Wanderers’ £75 million asking price for midfielder Ruben Neves has put off Arsenal, Manchester United and Barcelona.
According to The Sun, Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester United will all pull the plug on their respective pursuits of Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves due to the club’s asking price. Wolves are reportedly demanding a massive £75 million transfer fee for the Portuguese international.
Neves joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in a reported £15 million move from FC Porto in 2017. He helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League and has since been a vital part of the Wolves set-up as they have successfully managed to maintain their top-flight status in the last four years.
The central midfielder has made 212 appearances for Wolves across all competitions thus far, scoring 22 goals and assisting another 10. With just two years remaining on his current contract with the club and there have been no reports of possible renewal.
Neves has thus been the subject of intense transfer speculation as the 25-year-old is currently at the peak of his powers. His ability to dictate play from the midfield while shielding the defence, as well as his set-piece prowess, make him an exciting prospect.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Barcelona were all tracking the midfielder. However, a move now seems out of the question. The interested parties believe the midfielder should not cost more than £45 million and are now prepared to walk away from the deal due to Wolves’ exorbitant demands.
Barcelona were prioritising a move for the Portuguese international as they are set to lose Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United and Sergio Busquets is now approaching the twilight of his career. The Blaugrana are also set to sign Franck Kessie from AC Milan but have not been able to register the player due to La Liga’s wage cap.
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Manchester United, meanwhile, are closing on a move for de Jong but had been following Neves as a possible replacement for Nemanja Matic. On the other hand, Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Fabio Vieira from FC Porto for £31.5 million and look unlikely to add another midfielder to their squad this summer, that too for a £75 million fee.
