La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly still in contention to snap up 25-year-old Portuguese international Ruben Neves.
According to a report by The Athletic, Barcelona might be the likeliest destination for Ruben Neves when he leaves Wolverhampton Wanderers. There is an acceptance at the Premier League outfit that the Portuguese international will soon call it quits at the Molineux, possibly in the summer transfer window.
Ruben Neves took a giant leap of faith when he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers from FC Porto in July 2017, when the Black Country outfit was still in the EFL Championship. Since then, Wolves have returned to the Premier League, with the 25-year-old playing a key role in establishing them as a stable top-flight club.
To date, the Portuguese international has made 207 appearances for the Midlands club, chipping in with 24 goals and 12 assists in the process. Neves’s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, setting their sights on him over a possible move in the summer transfer window.
The interest from Barcelona is interesting, considering Franck Kessie is on the verge of joining them on a Bosman move in the summer transfer window. While Kessie will initially replace Riqui Puig in the Barcelona first-team squad, he might essentially be arriving as a long-term successor for Sergio Busquets.
With Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez already key parts of the Barcelona midfield department, it is hard to see how Neves might fit in the scheme of things. But the 25-year-old seems to be a target for Barcelona heading into the summer transfer window.
Recent reports had suggested that the Blaugrana had ruled out signing Neves. But according to the reliable David Ornstein, the Portuguese international remains likely to join Barcelona in the summer transfer window, with Wolverhampton Wanderers accepting that he could call it quits at the Molineux ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Wolves are already scouring the market for a replacement for Neves, with Joao Palhinha emerging as one of their targets. As for a possible move to Barcelona, it will be interesting to see if the 25-year-old Portuguese international completes a switch to Camp Nou in the summer transfer window.