Manchester United have Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves “on the list” as an alternative to Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, according to reports. Fabrizio Romano.
What’s the latest news regarding De Jong and Neves?
Reports over the past few days suggest that Erik ten Hag’s side are in direct contact with Barcelona over the signing of De Jong, but with the Catalan giants appearing to be receiving a financial boost that will put pressure on their need to sell players, reduced, this has triggered another wrench in the works of a possible United deal.
Neves was a name linked throughout the summer too and it seems the Red Devils could turn their attention to the Portugal international this summer.
What has Romano said about Man Utd’s hunt for Neves?
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano has claimed United will certainly have alternatives if a deal for De Jong doesn’t materialize and that Neves is someone the club has been monitoring since last summer.
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He said: “I’m sure they have some alternatives. Ruben Neves is a player who was already on the list last summer. He has always been on the Manchester United roster and is highly valued.”
Neves would be a Premier League proven addition to Man Utd
According to The Telegraph, Wolves could be looking to claim a fee in the region of £70m and while that’s certainly an eye-opening price, it’s perhaps somewhat understandable.
At just 25, he has already earned 30 senior caps for Portugal, while being virtually ubiquitous for Wolves during their Premier League days, making 142 appearances in the competition alone.
That level of first-class experience is undoubtedly an asset, but if United make a move for the midfield maestro it would give Ten Hag more guarantee of someone hitting the ground running.
While de Jong clearly seems to be the top target and the man in most headlines, a nosedive for Neves would be smart business for the club.
According to Whoscored, the Portuguese ace would have finished sixth in the entire United squad with an average of 2.1 tackles per game last season in the Premier League, while his tally of 1.2 interceptions per game would have put him third.
In possession, his average of 58.5 passes per game was significantly better than any United player and that ability to dictate play and control games is something Ten Hag would surely love at Old Trafford.
If United end up having to turn to an alternative for De Jong, they could fare a lot worse than moving to Neves for a Premier League-proven addition.
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