Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly slapped a £110 million price tag on Ruben Neves, who is a target for Manchester City and Manchester United
According to a report by The Times, Wolverhampton Wanderers will seek a Premier League record fee to part ways with Ruben Neves. Manchester City and Manchester United, who have been heavily linked with the Portuguese star, have been told to cough up £110 million to land him.
Never created quite a stir when he joined Wolves from FC Porto in the summer of 2017, despite being regarded by many to have the potential of being a world beater. Having taken up the challenge of playing Championship football though, the Portuguese took no time to establish himself as a key figure for the West Midlands club, as they secured promotion to the Premier League.
Another season, another new league. But, the 21-year-old has taken to the English top-flight like fish to water, making important contributions in their strong start to the season. His exploits though, have not gone unnoticed, with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City taking a keen interest in him.
At Manchester United, the need to sign a midfielder has arisen from the fact that Paul Pogba faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford. That Barcelona are set to step up their pursuit of the Frenchman will only end up putting the Red Devils on their toes further.
While Neves would not exactly be a like-for-like replacement for Pogba, attributes like his passing range, creative abilities and eye for a goal do make him a viable target, who could even slot in alongside the disgruntled World Cup winner. But, Manchester United are not alone in pursuit of the 21-year-old, with Manchester City also keen on him.
Manchester City were foiled in their numerous attempts to sign a midfielder this past summer, be it by Manchester United, who signed Fred, or Chelsea, who ended up landing Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic. But, with Fernandinho in the twilight of his career, the Premier League champions are in need of a no. 6 who could gradually replace the ageing star.
With Neves being comfortable on the ball, he wouldn’t take long to adjust in a possession-based system, having already shown qualities of playing for a top club. But, Manchester City and Manchester United will face a tall order in their bid to land the Portuguese international.
Wolves have slapped a £110 million price tag on Neves, a figure that would break the Premier League record fee. But, the newly promoted outfit have done so in order to ward off Manchester United and Manchester City, who could think twice before shelling out such an eye watering sum.
In addition to forking out £110 million, the Manchester clubs will also have to convince Neves to part ways with Wolves, which will not be an easy task. Having recently signed a new five-year contract deal with the West Midlands club, the player insisted that he will not be departing from the Molineux anytime soon, as he feels valued by the Wolves faithful.
For now, Wolves are holding all the aces in their bid to keep hold of Neves. But, it will be interesting to see if Manchester City and Manchester United are ready to test their resolve by lodging a bid around the £110 million that they are asking for, or if they set their sights elsewhere.
