Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United handed Ruben Neves transfer blow as Wolves midfielder is ‘crazy about joining Barcelona’
According to Spanish publication Sport (h/t The Sun), Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves has his heart set on joining Barcelona in the summer, providing a transfer blow to Manchester United.
Neves is currently nursing an injury that has seen be ruled out of the season, but the Portuguese star has been the driving force of this Wolves side, gaining promotion from the Championship to finishing in the top half of the Premier League.
This season as well, Bruno Lage’s side are battling for a place in Europe, hoping to finish seventh or higher to earn a place in the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Conference League. They currently sit in eighth place in the league table.
His performances in England have seen him become a Portugal international as well, running the midfield for his national side alongside club teammate Joao Moutinho. He was part of the side that won the UEFA Nations League in 2019.
Multiple attempts from Man United
United’s interest in Neves is not new, with the Manchester club attempting to sign him in the last two transfer windows but failing to convince Wolves to part with him. Midfield is an area that needs improvement, and the Red Devils tried hard last summer as well to snap up the 25-year-old, but former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went in a different direction in the end.
Now, it seems like the Premier League giants have seemingly lost out on their chance to sign Neves, as the midfielder is said to be only “crazy about joining Barcelona”. Jorge Mendes is working hard to help him move to the Nou Camp, with the super-agent making the most of his good relationship with the Catalan side after previously assisting Adama Traore in jumping ship to Barca in January.
With the player’s heart set on a move to La Liga, the Old Trafford outfit will need to work hard to convince him to ditch his dream and remain in the Premier League. Similar to Barca, Man United too are embarking on a rebuilding phase in the summer.
Erik ten Hag will be arriving from Ajax Amsterdam to take charge of the Red Devils and usher in a new era, trying to get the Manchester side back to where it belongs and have it compete for trophies once again.
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Neves could perhaps be tempted to be a key player in this new-look Man United team under ten Hag, choosing to remain in a league he has much experience playing in and has already settled into, rather than move to a different country and league and adapt to it all over again.
But with his agent working behind-the-scenes to get him a move to Barcelona in the summer, it looks like a lost cause to convince him to swap the Molineux for Old Trafford. Another midfielder will need to be looked at to improve our squad in the upcoming transfer window.
