Ruben Neves is set to be a man in demand this summer. The Wolves midfielder has played to a consistently high standard since arriving in the Premier League and now Arsenal are weighing up a move for the 25-year-old.
Mikel Arteta has prioritised a new midfielder ahead of the summer transfer window. Granit Xhaka's future hangs in the balance as football.london understands that Roma are likely to come in for the Switzerland international again while Albert Sambi Lokonga remains a work in progress.
Arsenal scouts will be working to identify that ideal replacement and Neves certainly appears to be an option. According to Sky Sports News, the Portuguese has become a 'top target' for the summer and given his relatively young age, it is easy to see he fits the profile of player Arteta prefers.
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But can the Gunners win the race for him? Manchester United and Barcelona have also been linked with Neves so any transfer battle looks set to be a hard-fought one, especially if Arsenal miss out on the Champions League. But Wolves boss Bruno Lage has already hinted that if Edu were to submit a hefty bid of between £80 million and £100 million, they could win the race.
“What he is doing this season is very good. I think also the way we play, he can show a better Ruben, and also the way he plays puts our team on a different level," Lage previously said via Birmingham Live when asked about the midfielder's future.
“When you have that player, the best thing to do is improve his salary and years of the contract. But who knows, when you have a top player like him in that specific position, that can defend and attack, and is a top professional and a great man, the big teams are there with £100million to buy these kinds of players.”
"I would have preferred to remain with Joao Felix in Benfica, but 120 million euros came and he left. It depends on the strategy of Wolves also, that’s why it was so hard to find players in the last two transfer windows because we want to find the best players at the right price and the right age to help us, then after two or three years they can give us economical profit. It’s not just about Wolves, in these days which club can refuse a proposal of 80, 90 or 100 million pounds? Five or six.”
Of course, any bid of such a size is extremely unlikely. With the likes of Declan Rice valued around that mark, however, it is easy to see why Lage has made such a claim.
