Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their reported pursuit of Ruben Neves this summer as reports claim Manchester United are set to make a final push to sign the midfielder. The Gunners have been heavily linked with a move for the Wolves star ahead of a huge summer for the club.
Mikel Arteta guided his side to fifth in the Premier League this season, narrowly missing out on a Champions League place. It means a return to the Europa League for the next campaign, with more preparation needed heading into it.
That’s because, despite being so close and competitive for the majority of the season, a mixture of squad depth and quality proved problematic for the Gunners in their top four pursuit. Discussing his project as a whole, the Spaniard said: “They [supporters] can see what we’re doing, what the players want to do, how they represent the club, the values on and off the pitch, who we are as a group.
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“And then we have the level that we have and it’s not been enough. We have to make a clear assessment on that and how we take the club to the next level. If we want to do that, we know what we have to do.”
The summer transfer window could be the perfect opportunity to assess the season and figure out how to reach that next level. A number of players have been linked with a move to the Emirates, including Wolves midfielder Neves.
The 25-year-old only has two-years remaining on his contract, meaning the Midlands club may look to move him on while they can still command a high transfer fee. For the Gunners, he would help address a depth issue in midfield, due to few first-team options beyond Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.
However, they aren’t alone in such interest as The Sun reports that Manchester United are aiming to make a “final push” to sign the Portuguese international this summer. The report adds that £50million could secure him, despite manager Bruno Lage publicly stating his price is £100million.
It would represent a blow to Arteta’s plans, should they miss out on Neves in the coming weeks. However, there are still plenty of twists and turns left before the transfer window even opens.
