La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly pulled the plug on signing Ruben Neves from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Barcelona will not pursue Ruben Neves next year. The Catalan giants expect to see Sergio Busquets departing from Spotify Camp Nou at the end of the season. And Martin Zubimendi is the priority target for succeeding the veteran midfielder.
Ruben Neves has been a pivotal figure for Wolverhampton Wanderers since arriving from FC Porto in July 2017. The 25-year-old raised eyebrows when he traded a big-name Portuguese club for an outfit in the EFL Championship. But he has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League in the last half a decade.
With Wolverhampton Wanderers now being mainstays in the Premier League, Neves has been an instrumental player. The Portuguese international has made over 200 appearances while chipping in with 28 goals and 12 assists. And the player’s progress has captured the attention of Barcelona.
Barcelona will likely lose Sergio Busquets at the end of the season despite Xavi Hernandez’s best efforts. The Barcelona manager wants the veteran midfielder to remain at Spotify Camp Nou. But Busquets, who has been considering his future for several weeks, seems destined to depart in the summer.
So the Blaugrana will have to delve into the market for a holding midfield reinforcement. And Neves had emerged as a viable target for Barcelona. Recent reports had also claimed that Barcelona had been advancing discussions to land the 25-year-old. But they have now cooled their interest in him.
Xavi does not view Neves as the ideal profile to fill Busquets’s impending void. And Martin Zubimendi is the priority target for the Barcelona manager, despite his hefty release clause. So Neves might continue in the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 25-year-old might feel he has reached his ceiling at the Molineux. But with Barcelona pulling the plug on a potential move, Neves is now in limbo over his next move. It will be interesting to see if a big-name club emerges to swoop the Portuguese international from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
