Wolves are set to beat Liverpool to the £14m signing of Porto midfielder Ruben Neves.
In perhaps one of the most surprising transfers of the summer so far, Wolverhampton Wanderers are reported by the Daily Mail to be on the verge of a £14m deal to sign Porto midfielder Ruben Neves.
Wolves are set to win the race for the 20-year-old despite the fact Liverpool have been heavily linked with Neves themselves, and only a few weeks ago Portuguese publication A Bola named them as an interested party.
FC Porto’s Ruben Neves during training
As such, will the Merseysiders end up regretting the fact that they have been beaten to one of the most promising young talents in Portuguese football by a Championship club?
The Midlands outfit do of course have the advantage of having being owned Fosun International, a Chinese conglomerate for whom Neves’ agent, Jorge Mendes, acts as an advisor.
That has helped them complete deals for Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro over the past 12 months, but this latest move will really be the most impressive of the lot if finalised.
Neves has long been rated as one of the most promising players in the Primeira Liga since breaking into the Porto first team back in 2014.
Despite having only turned 20 in March, the midfielder has already played 93 times for the club and also has two senior caps for Portugal.
While Neves’ stock has fallen slightly over the past 12 months with some disappointing performances, the Reds may still rue the day they missed out on the youngster to a side that finished 31 places below them in the English league pyramid in 2016/17.
England’s Daniel Crowley (L) and Portugal’s Ruben Neves in action
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