Arsenal
Edu in talks with agent as Arsenal try to agree swift deal to sign 24-year-old star
Arsenal technical director Edu is in talks with Ruben Neves’ agent as they try to thrash out a deal for the £35m-rated Wolves midfielder
Technical Director Edu is in constant communication with agent Jorge Mendes as Arsenal plot a move to sign £35m-rated Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves this summer, according to The Sun.
The Gunners are expected to be extremely busy in the transfer market over the coming weeks as Mikel Arteta aims to rebuild his squad following a hugely frustrating 2020/21 campaign that saw them finish eighth in the league.
Arsenal have already snapped-up young left-back Nuno Tavares from Benfica and are reportedly in talks to sign Ben White and Albert Lokonga but another midfielder is on the agenda with several outgoings expected this summer.
Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard have already returned to Real Madrid, Matteo Guendouzi has joined Marseille while Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira are also tipped to leave the Emirates Stadium so reinforcements are needed in midfield.
Neves has emerged as a prime target and The Sun claims that Arsenal’s technical director Edu is in ‘constant communication’ with the players agent Jorge Mendes trying to get a deal agreed ‘as soon as possible’.
The newspaper says Arsenal are keen to get the majority of their transfer business done before their Premier League opener against Brentford on August 13 so are pressing ahead with their attempts to sign Neves.
Wolves are reportedly open to the idea of selling the Portuguese international as they look to raise transfer funds this summer but The Sun says the Midlands club are demanding £35m for Neves – which could be a problem for Arsenal.
However, the 24-year-old has just two years remaining on his contract so Arsenal may try to drive that asking price down as Neves would be worth a lot less next summer if he had just 12 months left on his deal.
Neves has been a terrific signing for Wolves since arriving from Porto in 2017 and he has all the attributes needed to replace Xhaka – who’s being heavily linked with a move to Italian side Roma.
The Portuguese international could form an impressive partnership alongside Thomas Partey at the Emirates next season so Arsenal will be hoping they can get an agreement in place with Wolves this summer.
