Juventus have joined Chelsea and Liverpool to make it a three-way tussle for €40-million-rated Ruben Neves.
According to the Daily Mirror, Premier League duo Chelsea and Liverpool have been joined by Italian side Juventus in the race to sign highly-rated FC Porto midfield maestro Ruben Neves in the summer.
The 20-year-old was a regular in the Portuguese side during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, but has seen his participation in first-team affairs die down this past campaign, as he tallied a meagre 18 appearances in all competitions and was an unused substitute on a number of occasions.
Thus, due to his lack of playing minutes, he could be considering a move away from the Estadio da Dragao, and does not have a dearth of clubs interested in snapping up his services this summer.
Premier League duo Chelsea and Liverpool have been recently linked with a move for the player as they look to add to the numbers in their midfield as they look to compete on multiple fronts this coming season.
The two clubs did not participate in the Champions League during the 2016/17 season, but their top-four finish in the league will now see them challenge among Europe’s elite as they look to be the first English club to win the trophy since 2012.
Despite not featuring on a regular basis, Neves is valued extremely highly by FC Porto. The club have already inserted a colossal release clause of €40 million in the player’s contract, and see him as an option for the future.
However, they are unlikely to stand in his way should he ask to leave in the summer, with top European sides such as Liverpool and Chelsea interested in his services. Neves now has another option to consider, with Juventus entering the race to sign him.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri recently signed an extension at the Turin club, and is known to have a penchant of signing up-and-coming midfield talents and gradually introduce them into the first team.
Neves seems an ideal fit in Allegri’s system as the Portuguese is one of the calmest figures on the ball, and does a great deal at pulling the strings from midfield. To add to that, he is a born leader, and has already captained Porto at the nascent age of 18.
With an array of world-class superstars already present at Juventus, Neves may have all the motivation he needs to take his game to the next level and cement his place not only in his club’s first team, but also become a regular for the highly-talented Portuguese national side.