A midfielder that Manchester United have long held in high regard might not be heading to Old Trafford after all.
For decades, there have been particular players linked for years with moves to certain clubs - think Edison Cavani supposedly joining Arsenal in the early to mid-2010s, or David de Gea going to Real Madrid.
Ironically, that latter club may have just put paid to the long-standing affections Man United had for a rival player.
Ruben Neves used to carve through Man United’s midfield when he played for Wolves.placeholder image
Ruben Neves used to carve through Man United’s midfield when he played for Wolves. | AFP via Getty Images
Over the past few years, the Red Devils have been repeatedly rumoured to have shown an interest in ex- Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves. The Portugal international, now playing in the Saudi Pro League for Al Hilal, played in the Premier League from 2017 to 2023, making 72 appearances and scoring 11 goals.
According to Spanish publication AS, while Man United are still interested in the 28-year-old, Real Madrid are internally debatting whether to make an offer to Al Hilal before the January transfer window closes.
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Journalist Anton Meana said: “Neves wants to sign for Real Madrid this winter transfer window. Technical staff in the football department believe the team needs to strengthen its midfield, but the board has doubts about his performance and the fact that his contract expires in June makes them not see the need to pay a transfer fee for him in January.
“The player has a very attractive renewal offer from Al Hilal, but he wants to play for Real Madrid.”
At the moment, Man United themselves probably don’t need a creative midfielder either. Bruno Fernandes is the nailed-on CAM in Michael Carrick’s line-up, Kobbie Mainoo has shown his creativity from deeper in the midfield, and the likes of Mason Mount and Toby Collyer are also waiting in the wings.
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