According to recent reports, Arsenal are ready to hijack Newcastle United’s move for Ruben Neves in January, with Mikel Arteta a big fan of the player.
The Arsenal manager wants to bolster his midfield options in two months time following the recurring injury problems to Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey. According to TalkSPORT, Arsenal hold a long-standing interest in Ruben Neves and the club could be helped by a new proposed Premier League rule come January.
Premier League clubs are expected to vote in favour of blocking teams from loaning players within their own ownership group next week. Considering Neves currently plays his football in Saudi Arabia and Newcastle United are also owned by the the Saudi Arabian Public, this would make a move for the player impossible.
This could provide Arsenal with a free run at the Portuguese midfielder come the winter window in under two months time.
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Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta and both said to be long-term admirers of Ruben Neves from his days in the Premier League with Wolves. The midfielder has often been linked with a move to North London in the past, before his move to the Middle East in the summer.
With it seeming increasingly likely that Thomas Partey leaves the club in January, a midfielder is now at the top of Mikel Arteta’s to do list. As well as Ruben Neves, the Gunners are also being linked with a move for Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz.
With Arsenal all but qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, a midfielder of Ruben Neves’ quality and profile could be a huge boost for Mikel Arteta’s side come the business end of the 2023/24 campaign. Adding quality in January could be the difference between Arsenal winning silverware this season, and them not.
And at 26-years-old, the Portuguese international still has some excellent years ahead of him if Arsenal can make a deal happen in January. however the club will be aware of their FFP restrictions in the windows to come.
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