As far as transfer strategies go, Newcastle snatching Rúben Neves on a two-year loan deal would be a shrewd if controversial move. The Portugal midfielder has only just left Wolves after a seven-year shift with the ink barely dry on his £47m contract with Al-Hilal in the Saudi Professional League. It’s not that Eddie Howe has convinced the Saudi club to tear up the legal document. He may not have to; both Newcastle and Al-Hilal are owned by PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.
The Magpies are also closing in on a move for Milan’s Sandro Tonali, the 23-year-old midfielder with a £60m price tag. Negotiations stalled after an initial £50m bid was rejected but the move now looks secure and would match the club’s record signing of Alexander Isak, who joined from Real Sociedad last season. Newcastle could bolster their Champions League squad further still with a move for Sadio Mané, who has been deemed surplus to requirements by Bayern Munich.
