This summer, many Premier League teams will face the prospect of losing their valuable midfielders.
This is the opinion of transfer expert Ben Jacobs, who in his column for CaughtOffside mentioned the possibility of several high-profile transitions that may occur in May this year.
Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves is mentioned in the article.
The 26-year-old’s contract is coming to an end, and an extension of his contract with Molineux has not yet been discussed.
Several leading clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool, are closely monitoring the situation with Neves’ contracts and are well-known fans of his style of play.
The Wolves will have to decide on his future sooner rather than later, and with no agreement in sight, it seems increasingly likely that Neves will leave the Black Country in the summer.
The Portuguese has become a key figure for the club since his unexpected arrival from Porto in 2017, when Wolves were still languishing in the second tier of English football.
Since then, he has made almost 250 appearances for the club, scoring 29 goals and playing a vital role in Wolves’ ascent to becoming a recognized Premier League team over the past half century.
Neves’ transmission range and ability to control the pace of the game are second to none, and his departure will leave a significant void in the team.
Arsenal were heavily linked with a move last summer but Wolves were able to keep their star player in midfield, but it may not be that easy this summer as his asking price has already plummeted from £75 million last year to around £50 million at the moment.
Jacobs also believes that Liverpool is showing an active interest in Neves’ compatriot from Wolves, Mateus Nunez, and confirms the possibility that scouts will target the 24-year-old again in May.
Meanwhile, West Ham’s Declan Rice is facing a showdown with the board at the London Stadium, and his contract also expires in 2024.
The Englishman has refused to sign any new deal and West Ham know that selling him this summer may be the only way to get a decent fee for his services.
Both Neves and rice will be in high demand in the summer, but the former is likely to be a much more expensive commodity than the latter, perhaps even twice as expensive, according to Jacobs.
In the summer, United are looking for reinforcements in midfield, and players like Rice and Neves could fit seamlessly into Eric ten Haga’s long-term vision for the club.
If any of these moves eventually materialize, the Red Devils will finally find the perfect partner for Casemiro in the center of their midfield without going broke for it.
This would allow them to strengthen other areas of the squad that desperately need to be explored.
It almost makes sense that it doesn’t happen, so knowing United, it probably won’t happen.
An interesting summer awaits all interested parties.
