Manchester United have an important transfer window coming up in the summer, and it has been claimed that the Red Devils have put Ruben Neves on their radar.
The Portuguese international has had a stellar season so far with Wolves, and according to the Express, Manchester United scouts have kept a close eye on the player.
The Red Devils will only go after Neves if Wolves lower their valuation of £100 million.
Ruben Neves – Fact file
Neves joined Wolves from Porto in 2017 for a fee of £15.8 million, and after a good spell in the Championship, the midfielder has adapted well to the top flight of English football.
Since making the move to Molineux, Neves has already mustered 69 appearances for Wolves, and had featured 93 times for Porto before that.
For a 21-year old, that’s an incredible tally of games and it just goes to show that the player has a good head above his shoulders and has shown the ability that belies his age.
Neves has predominantly featured as a defensive midfielder this season, and has played a key role in Wolves’ fearless approach under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Portuguese international has mustered 2.3 tackles and 2.3 interceptions on an average so far this season, and has combined his impressive ability to protect the back three with his distribution.
Why Neves would make Manchester United’s midfield unstoppable
Paul Pogba has shown how good a player he is going forward, and it just doesn’t make sense to shackle the Frenchman.
Before his red card against PSG, Pogba scored eight goals in nine matches. Someone like Neves, who has shown good progress over the last few years, can be a long-term replacement for Nemanja Matic whose powers are fading.
Of course, Neves doesn’t possess the same physical approach and height as Matic, but what he lacks in physique, he makes up with clever reading of the game, which is one of the reasons why he has averaged better numbers than Matic in the defensive aspect of the game.
Neves’ composure, passing, and distribution are also impeccable, which means he would be key player in a more possession-based and a counter-attacking approach as well.
The Portuguese won’t come cheap, but he certainly has the ability to be a top player at United.
Stats via Whoscored
why should Wolves lower their price just to accommodate Utd, in fact the price would be nearer £150 million, the owners put a price tag of £110 million on Neves but that was while he was a championship player.
Fosun don’t need the money and if they want to get were they want us to be then we have to keep our best players, so unless Neves asks to leave I can’t see the club selling.