Manchester United Overtake Arsenal To Sign £35m Rated Midfielder

Manchester United have overtaken Arsenal in their pursuit of Ruben Neves.

David Ornstein reported the Gunners’ interest in the Wolverhampton Wanderers star not too long ago as they brace for the imminent departure of Granit Xhaka. The Swiss international is expected to sign for AS Roma and Neves is viewed as a potential replacement.

Xhaka’s departure would be a huge loss to the Londoners as Thomas Partey would be left without a reliable partner in midfield. And although Partey himself can play the No. 6 role, Mikel Arteta seems to prefer him as a box-to-box option which is likely why he is interested in the Wolves man.

However, it seems as if the Red Devils have hijacked their rivals’ advances. According to talkSPORT, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have already moved ahead of the competition for the midfielder, who is reportedly valued at £35 million.

The Mancunians need a replacement for Nemanja Matic who is entering the twilight stage of his career. Having the Portuguese international will bring the same distribution prowess and physicality in midfield, although he is not on par on defensive ability with the Serbian yet.

Nevertheless, the Portugal international is still relatively young and most shortcomings can be ironed out over time.

Moreover, Paris Saint-Germain are said to be interested in Paul Pogba which leaves the Old Trafford outfit at risk of losing one of their biggest figures in midfield. This means the need to sign a new midfielder has never been so high and the 24-year-old is a good option on paper.

On the other hand, the North Londoners are keen on signing Manuel Locatelli according to Fabrizio Romano, meaning if they manage to convince the Italian, they will likely not attempt to sign the former Porto man as well.