Newcastle and Arsenal are both keen on a move for Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves.
He has previously been subject to interest from a number of Premier League sides but the former Wolves midfielder ended up moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer joining Al-Hilal in a deal worth £47m.
With Sandro Tonali banned for 10 months for breaching betting rules, Newcastle are looking to sign a top quality midfielder in January to fill the void left by the Italian.
The likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City are also said to be interested in securing Neves’ services but Newcastle hold an advantage due to the shared PIF ownership.
And as per journalist Ben Jacobs, Newcastle will be the obvious choice for Neves if he is to return to the Premier League.
But he goes on to mention a possible complication in a deal and that is dependent on the upcoming vote from Premier League clubs which will decide whether to put a temporarily ban on ‘associated party transactions.’
He told GiveMeSport:
“We know that Arsenal have looked at Neves in the past. That’s the first thing to say. But if Neves moves to the Premier League, I think it will be Newcastle, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out why, because there’s that relationship between PIF owning Newcastle and PIF controlling Al-Hilal.
The complication is obviously whether it is feasible based upon a vote from the Premier League on November 21st, when the clubs will decide whether to put a ban temporarily on associated party transactions which would stop, in January, Newcastle being able to try for Neves and therefore give a club like Arsenal if they chose to proceed a clearer path. But there’s nothing yet with Arsenal and Neves active.”
Neves joined Wolves from FC Porto back in 2017 and spent 6 years at the Midlands, scoring 30 goals and assisting 13 in 253 appearances.
The Portuguese international was very honest about why he moved to the Saudi league despite being in his prime years. He admitted that the decision to move was so he could give his wife and kids the best possible life.
However, despite the financial perks, he is finding it difficult to adjust to the life in the Middle East and is keen on making a return to the Premier League.