The Times shocked many people over the weekend as they credited Arsenal with an interest in Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.
The report claimed that the Gunners have already started working on a possible deal to sign the Portugal international this summer after the Wanderers reportedly made him available for a transfer.
With Granit Xhaka set to leave in the coming weeks, Neves would really be an interesting option to replace him. He is excellent on the ball, is capable of scoring from distance and is fairly solid defensively as well.
What Ruben Neves has told Wolves teammates about Arsenal rumours
Neves checks all the boxes for Mikel Arteta and if a new report is to be believed, he is ready to switch the Molineux for the Emirates in the coming weeks.
The Daily Mail claim that Neves has already told his Wolves teammates that he wants to join Arsenal this summer. That is excellent news, but Edu and Mikel Arteta will have to fork out big money to sign him.
Wolves are reportedly holding out for a similar fee to what Liverpool paid for Diogo Jota last summer – £41 million. That is a lot of money, but not many people can argue that he isn’t worth the big bucks.
The Insider’s View:
Ruben Neves is a phenomenal player, there’s no two ways about it. He has been absolutely brilliant for Wolves over the last few years, and there is no doubt about the fact that he will go on and have a fine career at the top level.
The 24-year-old, on paper, is an ideal replacement for Xhaka. He is capable of doing everything the Swiss international has done for us, but should Arsenal really be looking at a like-for-like replacement?
The Gunners need someone more dynamic next to Thomas Partey this summer. Arteta can fit Neves into his side and the Wolves man can work wonders.
However, if it was up to us, we’d rather have someone like Yves Bissouma, who is of the same age group, will cost about the same amount of money, but is more of a natural number six than the Wolves man will ever be.
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