Spanish press reports revealed that Barcelona decided to sign Portuguese international Ruben Neves, Wolverhampton midfielder.
The Portuguese midfielder is receiving great attention from Barcelona’s sports administration, but it is difficult to sign him this summer.
Barcelona coach Xavi gave the green light to the management to settle the Ruben Neves deal, to strengthen the midfield before the start of the new season.
And according to what was published by the Spanish newspaper “Sport”, the 25-year-old is the first choice in the search for a replacement for Sergio Busquets, and it is likely that the club will enter negotiations with Wolverhampton to include the middle of the field, especially after entering Manchester United.
Neves wants to move away from Wolverhampton and join a team that will participate in the Champions League next season, and this condition applies only to Barcelona and not Manchester United, despite making an offer of 50 million euros.
Neves is considered one of the most distinguished players in the midfield in the English Premier League for years, and his name has recently been linked to the possibility of moving to Barcelona or Manchester United, but which one prefers the Portuguese?!
The Catalan newspaper indicated that Neves would prefer moving to Barcelona in the Spanish League than moving to Manchester United under the leadership of new coach Eric Ten Hag.
Although Xavi believes that Busquets can still perform at the highest level and continue to be one of the backbone members of the team, the presence of Man United on the line of negotiations with the English club made Xavi demand Laporta to hurry in order to bring the deal, especially after the possible departure of De Jong.
Barcelona was considering signing Neves next summer, after the end of the 2022/2023 season, with only one year left on his contract, in addition to the expiration of Busquets’ contract.
Although the club is very interested in Robin Neves, but he does not intend to risk and enter into negotiations this summer, especially since his price next summer may drop to 40 million euros, and then the economic situation may be better.
The Catalan newspaper stated, that the Neves deal may include players, and this is what encouraged Wolverhampton to ask for Barcelona midfielder, Nico, but the Catalan club is hesitant about the player’s departure system, whether sale or loan.