According to Sport, Barcelona have made Arsenal target Ruben Neves their No.1 transfer priority for the summer.
Why Barcelona want Arsenal target Ruben Neves
Well, the Spanish news outlet claim that Barcelona view the Portugal international as the ideal replacement for Sergio Busquets, who is set to leave Catalonia at the end of the season.
Sport believe Barcelona have already made contact with Wolves and Neves, who they attempted to sign before the September 1st deadline.
On that occasion, Wolves did not cooperate, although the feeling is that they will allow their No.8 to leave Molineux for the Camp Nou in the summer of 2023.
At that point, Neves will only have 12 months remaining on his contract.
Crucially, Jorge Mendes – who has a strong relationship with Barcelona President Joan Laporta – is in charge of negotiations, so the expectation is that things will run smoothly given his connections to Wolves as well.
It comes after The Sun revealed that Arsenal hope to bring Neves to the Emirates Stadium.
So far this season, the 25-year-old has made eight appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal.
Arsenal likely to lose Ruben Neves to Barcelona
In our view, Arsenal are now highly unlikely to sign Neves.
An older story from Sport claimed that Xavi has personally phoned the Portuguese playmaker, and he is keen on making the move to Barcelona.
The opportunity to replace a legend in Busquets, and have a starting berth at the base of Barcelona’s midfield for many years, is certainly going to tempt Neves, so we believe Arsenal may struggle to match that.
Of course, the Gunners are attractive in their own right, although it sounds as if Barcelona have already done plenty of groundwork as they aim to lure Neves to the Camp Nou.
Keep an eye on this saga, as there could still be a surprise development.
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