Ruben Neves turned down advances from Manchester United and Liverpool this summer in favour of pursuing a move to Barcelona.
The Wolves midfielder, 25, has established himself as one of the Premier League's finest midfielders since arriving in 2017. And he seemed destined for a transfer away following the conclusion of last season when he waved to Molineux supporters while in tears in May.
United were in desperate need for a defensive midfielder and spent all summer chasing Frenkie De Jong's ghost. Neves would have been a suitable replacement but instead the club spent big on Real Madrid's Casemiro, signing the Brazilian for £70m.
A number of injuries saw Liverpool become desperate for midfield reinforcements late on in the summer window. But instead of Neves, the Reds brought in a Brazilian themselves in the form of Arthur on loan from Juventus.
While many questioned why both clubs overlooked someone like Neves and his obvious qualities, it's now emerged that they didn't. According to Sport, both United and Liverpool contacted Neves's agent to explore the possibility of a transfer.
However, as soon as Neves got wind of Barcelona's interest in his services he decided to stay put. Knowing the La Liga giants are in financial trouble and that a move to the Nou Camp wouldn't be viable this year, it seems Neves is happy to wait another 12 months before getting his move.
At the start of the season, Neves addressed the fact he hadn't moved on from Wolves. "Let's see what happens," he told The Times.
"I try to focus 100 per cent on my football and I had a good start to the season but we need results now. If you ask me at the end of last season I would have said to you, 'I will leave' but I'm still here, so we never know what's going to happen."
He added: "One of the things I miss most is the Champions League, it's the best competition in the world to play in. So let's try to achieve that."
Further reports in Spain on Thursday declared that Neves is Barcelona's top target to replace Busquets. Despite De Jong filling in on occasion this season, Barcelona want to strengthen further and have identified Neves as the man to do so.
Neves's current deal runs until 2024 and, with just one year remaining on it by the time next summer comes around, it's likely the midfielder would move on.
The midfielder started both of Portugal's Nations League games, winning the first 4-0 away to Czech Republic but losing the second 1-0 at home to neighbours Spain.
