Ruben Neves is reportedly keen to return to European football amid January interest from Newcastle United.
The Portuguese midfielder shocked the Premier League after he agreed to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers and join Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.
However, despite being in the Middle Eastern league for just six months, Neves, 26, is being strongly linked with a quick return.
Interest in the 26-year-old is strongest among those in charge at Newcastle United. With Eddie Howe needing to replace the suspended Sandro Tonali following the midfielder’s illegal betting activity while with AC Milan, Neves has emerged as a surprise mid-season target for the Magpies.
And although there were some concerns the Premier League would veto potential deals between clubs with shared ownership groups, such as Newcastle and Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Tuesday saw the majority of clubs vote in favour of allowing deals to take place.
This was good news for Newcastle United, who are now odds-on-favourites to land Neves.
And interestingly, according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the Portugal international is equally as keen to return to European football following what has so far been an underwhelming spell in Saudi Arabia.
During his time in the Premier League, Neves, who has three years left on his contract, directly contributed to 30 goals in 177 games in all competitions.