Arsenal
Arsenal in talks to sign £35m star as Arteta looks to continue summer overhaul
Arsenal are in talks to sign Ruben Neves after Mikel Arteta identified the Wolves midfielder as a potential target
Arsenal are in talks to sign Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves as Mikel Arteta looks to continue his summer overhaul ahead of the new season, according to reports via the Mirror.
Arteta knows Arsenal need a revamp after finishing eighth in the Premier League last season and the Gunners have already signed highly-rated left-back Nuno Tavares from Benfica this summer. Several further additions are expected to be made over the coming weeks and central midfield is an area of concern for Arteta.
Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard have returned to Real Madrid following loan spells, Matteo Guendouzi has joined Marseille, while Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock are also being tipped to leave this summer.
Therefore, Arteta is in the market for midfield reinforcements and Neves has been touted as a target by the media with the Telegraph reporting last month that Arsenal will launch a move for the Wolves star over the coming weeks.
It appears Arsenal have now stepped up their pursuit as the Mirror are citing a report from Portuguese outlet Record that claims the Gunners are in talks over a potential deal to sign Neves from Wolves.
The report doesn’t say how negotiations are going or whether Wolves are open to doing a deal but Goal reported in June that Neves is valued at around £35m so Arsenal know how much it will cost if they want to land the Portuguese international.
Neves has been an excellent signing for Wolves since arriving from Porto in 2017 and he’d ben a terrific addition to Arteta’s squad if Arsenal could get a deal agreed for his services this summer.
The 24-year-old is coming into his prime and has all the attributes Arteta will be looking for in a potential replacement for Xhaka – who’s being heavily linked with a move to Italian side Roma.
However, Neves has attracted interest from other clubs so Arsenal could face competition for his signature and Record says the north Londoners have identified Renato Sanches as a potential alternative.
