Newcastle rocked as Arsenal explode into huge £50m midfield chase; top source labels Magpies deal ‘complicated’
Newcastle United may have to watch on as transfer target Ruben Neves joins a Premier League rival, with Arsenal reportedly bursting into the race for him.
Neves became a fan favourite during his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers and even went on to captain the club last season after previous skipper Conor Coady left for Everton. Amid his top performances for Wolves, the central midfielder was linked with major clubs including Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool.
With Wolves struggling financially, it was always likely that Neves would depart Molineux in the summer. But rather than making a move up the ladder, he raised eyebrows by heading to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal in a £47million deal.
Although, Neves’ spell in the Middle East might not last long. On October 28, reports in Portugal stated that he ‘dreams’ of returning to the Premier League, having learned that Newcastle are keen on signing him.
Eddie Howe, of course, is in need of a new midfielder after learning that Sandro Tonali will be out of action until August 2024 due to a 10-month betting ban.
Italian source Tuttomercatoweb reported on November 3 that Newcastle were stepping up their attempts to snare Neves. However, the move is now under serious threat.
In an interview with CaughtOffside for their Daily Briefing, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Newcastle are no longer ‘optimistic’ about bringing the 26-year-old back to England. The deal is ‘really complicated’ as Premier League teams will soon vote on whether to ban clubs from loaning players if two sides have the same owners.
As Newcastle and Al Hilal are both owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), this would prevent Howe from bolstering his squad with Neves’ capture.
Arsenal ‘ready to hijack’ Newcastle move
And Newcastle will also face competition from Arsenal to land him. talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has now stated that Arsenal are ‘ready to hijack’ Newcastle’s move for Neves.
Arsenal, like Newcastle, are in the market for midfield reinforcements, though for different reasons. The Gunners have made the area a ‘top priority’ after Thomas Partey was ruled out until the new year with a thigh injury. Partey could also miss games in January and February if he travels to the Africa Cup of Nations to represent Ghana.
With Arsenal sporting director Edu a ‘long-term admirer’ of Neves, the North London side have now positioned themselves at the front of the queue to agree a winter deal.
While Newcastle were looking into a six-month loan for Neves, it is likely Arsenal will attempt to engineer a permanent transfer. After all, as Partey is now 30 years old, Mikel Arteta needs a long-term replacement for him.
It is expected that Al Hilal will demand a similar fee to what they originally paid for the Portuguese, which means he could be on the move to the Emirates for £45-50m in January.
Should Arsenal end up missing out on Neves, they do have alternative midfielders in mind. TEAMtalk can reveal the four other stars Arsenal have shortlisted, though Aston Villa ace Douglas Luiz has not made the cut.