Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is looking to sign a new defensive midfielder and as per Record, the Gunners have opened talks with Wolves to sign Ruben Neves.
Neves has been linked with Arsenal a few times this summer and it seems like the North London side have finally decided to make a move for the Portuguese international.
The report claims: “Arsenal will already be negotiating with Wolverhampton to hire Rúben Neves. The Portuguese midfielder is linked to Wolves until 2024 and Bruno Lage will certainly not want to leave him behind, so it is natural that a large amount will be required for the pass.
“Mikel Arteta, coach of the gunners, has been pointing batteries to some Portuguese players.
“Much valued by the European, Renato Sanches, Lille midfielder, is also on Arsenal’s radar, which has strong competition from Liverpool here.”
Can Arsenal afford to sign Ruben Neves?
With Granit Xhaka likely to move out of the club, Ruben Neves will be the perfect signing to replace the Swiss international next season.
But without European football, it will be a real uphill battle for the Gunners to be able to convince Ruben Neves to join them.
Some rumours have claimed that Wolves are ready to part ways with some of their big stars so they can fund their new arrivals and the name of Ruben Neves happens to be on that list.
View this post on Instagram
Also, the 24-year-old is valued at £40.50m according to TransferMarkt and he has three more years left on his current deal. So, there’s no way Wolves are going to sell him off for cheap.
A transfer fee of around £45 million should be good enough to lure Neves out of Molineux but it will be interesting to see if the Gunners management are ready to spend so much money on a single player.
Wolves are in no hurry to sell Ruben Neves so Arsenal either have to convince the midfielder to push for an exit this summer or they will have to meet the monetary demands.
