Wolves’ Ruben Neves is said to prefer a move to Barcelona despite interest from both Manchester United and Arsenal.
The 25-year-old has been in English football since 2017, joining then-Championship side Wolves for a fee of £15m as the club’s Portuguese revolution helped propel them back into the Premier League.
Neves has been a crucial part of Wolves’ success and while he has developed a reputation of scoring some long-range thunderbolts, it is his all-round controlling play that makes him such an important cog for the Black Country club.
He has regularly been linked with a move to a so-called bigger club, though it seems like this summer could be the year he finally leaves Molineux, with Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal having all been linked.
Wolves boss Bruno Lage recently said that Neves was a £100 million player, a price that seems highly unlikely to be met by any interested party, though according to Catalan outlet, Sport, should he have the option of clubs, the player ‘dreams of wearing the Barca shirt’.
However, the report says that Neves’ agent, Jorge Mendes, will need to use an ‘imaginative formula’ to facilitate a deal, with the current financial demands making the player ‘unattainable’ for the La Liga giants.
Barcelona do, however, have a good relationship with Wolves, with Adama Traore having moved to the Nou Camp on loan in January, while Nelson Semedo and Francisco Trincao have moved in the opposite direction in recent transfer windows.