Arsenal are reportedly maintaining their interest in Ruben Neves, although the pursuit of the Wolves midfielder could be challenging.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal have retained their interest in Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves. However, it is unclear whether they will make a move for the Portuguese international before the close of the current window. The Gunners prefer a loan signing to cover their central areas, with a long-term target expected to arrive in the summer.
Arsenal have endured a challenging January on and off the field. While they ended the month without a win, they might be heading towards an indifferent conclusion to the transfer window. The Gunners wanted to bring in a striker and a midfielder in this window but have faced massive disappointments so far.
Arsenal spent most of their time chasing Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, only for Juventus to swoop in and strike a deal for the Serbian striker. Meanwhile, they wanted to bring in Arthur Melo from Juventus on a six-month loan deal, initially considered a pretty straightforward move, only for the transfer saga to have its twist and turns.
The Bianconeri initially asked the Gunners to procure him on an 18-month contract but are now refusing to do business altogether. Juventus’s other concern was to find a replacement before letting the Brazilian leave, although their reported primary target Bruno Guimaraes has decided to join Newcastle United in the last few hours.
Arsenal are expected to keep pushing before deadline day and hope to make progress in their pursuit of signing a midfielder. However, in their failure to sign Arthur, the north Londoners have a few alternatives in mind, although those are considered long-term targets than stop-gap options.
At the beginning of the month, there were talks about Youri Tielemans, although those have died down lately. The latest name to emerge on their shortlist is Ruben Neves, who was a target back in the summer. Arsenal wanted to sign the 24-year-old Portuguese international as a replacement for Granit Xhaka, only for the Swiss midfielder to stay put.
Neves is a long-term option for the Gunners, who are also looking at various options, including Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz. They might yet go for those targets in the summer; a bid might also be lodged before the current window shuts.
If Arsenal decided to lodge a bid, it could be very late in the current window, although their primary objective would be to sign Arthur at all costs. With his contract running until 2024, Neves will have a significant price tag on his head, although Arsenal might be inclined towards paying up even last summer.