Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly set Ruben Neves's valuation at £70m as clubs continue to circle for his signature.
The midfielder has enjoyed a hugely-successful five-year stint at Molineux, initially helping Wolves to promotion before playing a significant role in establishing the club in the Premier League.
However, now 25 years of age, there is an increasing feeling that the Portugal international has played his final game for the West Midlands outfit with interest growing in his services.
After the final game of the campaign, Neves told The Athletic: "Everyone knows about what football is about, what our lives are about. Our careers are really short, we need to take the opportunities we have.
"Of course, all of us have dreams and we need to live those dreams in a short space of time. Let's see what happens. I cannot say too much about it."
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Barcelona are known to be admirers of Neves, despite currently not possessing the funds to push through a deal for Wolves' key man.
Arsenal and Manchester United have also been frequently monitoring the situation, even though their chances of signing Neves have lowered with qualification for the Champions League having not been achieved.
Now, according to The Telegraph, Wolves are prepared to demand £70m, although that figure being met appears unlikely at this stage.
Neves has two years remaining on his contract and Wolves will realistically struggle to generate half of that figure next year should they not cash in during the upcoming transfer window.
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Sporting Lisbon's Joao Palhinha has allegedly been identified as a like-for-like replacement for Neves, Wolves standing to make a profit if they find agreements to both proposals.
However, it has been suggested that Wolves will only be able to finalise a deal for Palhinha when they find a buyer for Neves, something which could take time.
The process would be significantly fast-tracked if Wolves can hold successful negotiations with their Barcelona counterparts for Nico Gonzalez.
Of all the Barcelona players to be offered to Wolves in part-exchange, the Premier League outfit are said to only be interested in the 20-year-old.
Darren Plant
