Liverpool & Chelsea In Battle To Sign £35m Midfielder

Managers are now pressing ahead with their plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Liverpool and Chelsea face competition for Ruben Neves…

Liverpool and Chelsea face a tough battle with Juventus to sign Porto’s £35m-rated midfielder Ruben Neves this summer, according to a report in the Mirror.

Neves joined Porto when he was just eight years old and has become a regular after breaking in to the first team set-up aged just 17 having progressed through the youth system.

The 20-year-old is now considered as one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Portuguese football and is already a full international with the Portuguese national team having played at every youth level.

The youngsters potential has caught the eye of teams here in the Premier League with the Mirror reporting last week that Liverpool and Chelsea had opened initial talks with Porto over a deal to sign the midfielder.

Jurgen Klopp is expected to be busy in the market this summer as he looks to build a squad capable of challenging for the title and the Liverpool boss needs competition for Jordan Henderson in midfield after the skipper missed large parts of last season with a foot injury.

Antonio Conte is also set to further strengthen his squad as he looks to defend their Premier League title and compete in the Champions League and a new partner for N’Golo Kante is among his priorities.

Neves appears to be on both managers radar, however, it looks as though Liverpool and Chelsea will face some fresh competition as the Mirror are now citing a report from Portuguese outlet A Bola that claims Juventus have joined the race for his signature.

The Italian giants have dominated Serie A in recent years but they know they need to further improve to stay ahead of big-spending AC Milan and Inter Milan this summer.

The newspaper says Neves has a £35m buyout clause in his contract but interested clubs will hope to see that price reduce as he has just two years remaining on his contract and has indicated he won’t sign a new deal.

READ MORE –> Chelsea transfer news | Liverpool transfer news

We’ll have to wait and see what happens as any potential transfer won’t happen until after the under-21 European championships but I think Neves would be an exciting addition for either Liverpool or Chelsea.