Manchester United have suffered a blow in their move to sign a key target in the winter window. The midfielder’s current club is pushing to extend its star player’s contract.
Manchester United Suffer Setback in Their Move for Midfielder
According to a report in talkSPORT by Ben Jacobs, Manchester United will have to battle Al-Hilal for the signature of Ruben Neves. The Saudi Pro League side is keen on keeping its star player, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
However, the club is not ruling out a sale in the winter window and has slapped an asking price on the player. The report adds that the Middle Eastern side is seeking $20 million to sell the Portuguese star, who is keen to return to Europe.
Fabrizio Romano spoke about Manchester United’s interest on his YouTube channel last week. He claimed the club is keeping tabs but has not started negotiations with Al-Hilal, and said:
“I wanted to clarify a couple of things, the first one about Ruben Neves, as I saw many of you asking me about what I said the other day here on the channel. Let me be clear, I didn’t post anything on Ruben Neves on my social media, because there is no news on Ruben Neves in terms of negotiations, in terms of bids, in terms of talks. What Manchester United did is to be in touch with the agent who also represents Ruben Neves,” Romano said.
The journalist added that the Red Devils have not started talks with Neves either, but have confirmed their interest in the 28-year-old star.
“But Man United didn’t start a real negotiation with Ruben Neves, with Al-Hilal to sign the player. So at this stage, nothing is moving. They spoke about several players, not just Ruben Neves, several opportunities, something like ideas, opportunities, talents. Ruben Neves is represented by one of the most powerful agents in football. So that’s something absolutely normal, but nothing has really changed so far.”
Neves joined Al-Hilal from Wolverhampton in 2023 and has already made 114 appearances for the club. He has been among the midfielders targeted by Ruben Amorim’s side in the winter window as they look to bolster the squad.
Injuries to Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, along with Manuel Ugarte’s form, have pushed the club to make a move in the market. Conor Gallagher has also been linked, while their top target, Elliot Anderson, has been blocked from an exit by Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, Neves was offered to Real Madrid for free next summer, but Los Blancos have already rejected the idea.
