Ruben Neves has extended his contract at Al Hilal.placeholder image
Ruben Neves has extended his contract at Al Hilal. | Getty Images
The former Wolves midfielder has put pen to paper on a new deal after January transfer speculation.
Chelsea endured a quiet January transfer window at Stamford Bridge with more headlines made in the managerial department than by new arrivals.
Liam Rosenior has taken over from Ezno Maresca and his life in West London has gotten off to a promising start. The former Strasbourg had inherited Maresca’s squad but is already putting his stamp on the players at his disposal.
One area that looked to be a potential area for recruitment last month was the midfield. Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo fitness worries had seen Chelsea linked with interest in Douglas Luiz and former player N’Golo Kante.
Chelsea and Man Utd linked with ex Premier League midfielder
Luiz eventually returned to Villa Park with Kante agreeing a move to Fenerbahce, before that collapsed at the final hurdle. Another name linked with a move to Chelsea was that of Ruben Neves.
The former Wolves man, who has played 177 times in the Premier League, has been with Saudi side Al Hilal since 2023. Neves left Molineux on a £47 million transfer to make the move to the Middle East.
TEAMtalk reported that Chelsea and Manchester United had both been offered the chance to sign Neves in January. Despite years away, the player was thought to be sure that he could still make an impact in the Premier League with Newcastle United also linked.
While playing in the top flight, Neves earned widespread praise for his abilities in the centre of the park. In 2023, shortly before his move to Al Hilal, former Premier League defender Gary Neville said: "It's interesting that you should say about Neves, he's been at Wolves quite a long time. I genuinely believe that Ruben Neves could go and sit in any midfield in Europe in any team in any league and be comfortable."
Ruben Neves signs new Al Hilal contract
Nothing came of those January transfer links but a move for Neves on a free transfer looked to be a possibility with his deal expiring this summer. However, the player has now signed a new contract with Al Hilal, as confirmed on Wednesday.
A statement from the club read: “The board of directors of Al-Hilal Club Company, headed by His Highness Prince Nawaf Bin Saad, has signed a contract extension with Portuguese player Rúben Neves for three additional sports seasons until 2029.”
Meanwhile, the player said: “Hello everyone, finally the day arrived. I’m sorry for being so late on this, thank you for your patience, I’ll keep giving everything for this club until 2029.”
In other news, 'Too much pain' - Liam Rosenior issues double Chelsea injury update ahead of Wolves and Leeds United clashes.
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