Arsenal are reportedly preparing to rekindle their interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves.
The Emirates Stadium has been mooted as a possible destination for the 25-year-old for a couple of years, but he has remained loyal to Molineux.
Arsenal and Manchester United were both credited with an interest in Neves over the summer, but the two clubs baulked at Wolves' hefty asking price.
Despite Neves's contract situation - the Portugal international is due to become a free agent at the end of next season - Wolves were supposedly demanding as much as £70m to sanction a sale.
Neves has remained a key player for Bruno Lage's side this season in the wake of his summer transfer saga, but talk of a potential exit in 2023 is starting to hot up.
© Reuters
Barcelona are thought to have identified the former Porto man as an ideal replacement for the long-serving Sergio Busquets, who is looking increasingly likely to leave in 2023.
However, the Blaugrana could face stiff competition for Neves's signature, as Sport claims that Arsenal are prepared to rekindle their interest in the midfielder next summer.
Arsenal were widely expected to bring in competition for Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga over the summer, but Mikel Arteta failed to add a new midfielder to his ranks.
The Gunners' pursuits of Douglas Luiz and Youri Tielemans did not bear fruit, and as a result, technical director Edu is expected to prioritise engine room reinforcements for the next couple of windows.
Arsenal and Barcelona have supposedly been handed an early boost in their efforts to strike a deal for Neves, who supposedly has no intention of extending his contract with Wolves.
© Reuters
The report adds that the Portuguese would prefer a move to Barcelona over Arsenal at this stage, as he feels that he has come to the end of a cycle in the Premier League and would welcome a new challenge in a new league.
Neves admitted to the Express & Star last month that he expected to leave Wolves in the summer window, saying: "At that time almost everything was ready for me to go, but this is football and you can see I am completely focused on being here.
"After the last game last season, I said that we have a short career to follow our dreams, but everyone knows I'm really happy here as well. There's no secrets with that. I had a chance to go, I didn't go and I stayed, and I will give 200 per cent for this club because they have given me a lot."
Neves has registered a total of 25 goals and 12 assists in 221 appearances for Wolves since joining from Porto in 2017, and he has played every minute of Premier League football for Lage's side this term.
The 25-year-old was unable to prevent Wolves from falling to a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United on Saturday evening, though, which leaves Lage's men in the relegation zone with six points after eight matches in 2022-23.
Ben Knapton
