FC Porto’s young midfielder Ruben Neves is making headways in the Liga Portuguesa and Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC are said to have stepped up in their efforts to sign the 18-year-old.
Neves has shown that he is more matured than his age would suggest and plays in the holding or defensive midfield role at FC Porto. However, when a player as young as him shows some promise, the top European clubs always circle above him and Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC seem to the leading the race for Neves’ signature.
Earlier reports have already suggested that Neves was being scouted by Liverpool FC for a long time, before attracting interest from the Reds’ Premier League rivals Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC.
Arsenal FC step-up scouting on Neves
However, the Gunners seem to have stepped up their interest in the player, and have sent scouts down to Portugal, in order to keep an eye on Neves in every game and get a proper assessment of him, according to the Daily Mirror.
FC Porto have said earlier that they want Neves, who has already been at the club for a decade, to become a symbol for the fans at the Estadio do Dragao. However, that may be a tad bit difficult in the modern era, as a lot of players want to get a taste to football in the big leagues, not only for their money, but also for their own development.
Injury crisis leave Gunners midfield empty
Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger is facing a rather torrid time, as five central midfielders in his first team squad are currently suffering from various injuries and the Gunners are looking a bit light in the middle of the park. More importantly, defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin has been ruled out for an undefined period of time with a knee injury.
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Neves plays in the holding midfield role, just like Coquelin, and this could explain why the Gunners have increased their surveillance on the Portuguese teenager, who is said to be a bit more creative than Coquelin from the deep-lying position.
