Meghna Sengupta
Why Manchester City must shell out £60million to sign Ruben Neves from Wolves
According to a report by The Sun, Manchester City are interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves once the winter transfer window commences.
The report further states that the club are willing to shell out a fee in the region of £60million to acquire his services. City were increasingly close to completing a move for Jorginho over the summer (h/t The Sun).
However, once Maurizio Sarri decided to move to Chelsea, he took Jorginho with him, thus dashing City’s hopes of signing him.
But as things stand, the Sky Blues are in dire need of a new defensive midfielder. Granted, they have Fernandinho for that role and he is arguably one of the best in the Premier League right now.
With Yaya Toure out of the picture, however, it would be better for the club to invest in another defence-oriented midfielder. Doing so would not only add depth but also provide Pep Guardiola with tactical flexibility as the days go by.
Neves burst onto the scene for Wolves in the Championship last season. His skills as a holding midfielder played a key role as Nuno Espirito Santo’s men romped away with the league title, subsequently securing a promotion to the English top-flight.
Although he excels at sitting deep and running the show in the middle of the park, Neves’ attacking flair is quite impressive as well. The Sun adds that he is contracted with Wolves until 2023. It is evident that he is instrumental to their success but for the right fee, City could tempt the Premier League newcomers.
As far as Neves is concerned, this would be a brilliant step for his career. Playing for an iconic manager like Guardiola at a huge club like City would not only elevate his skills but would also help him taste the flavour of Champions League football.
Moving to City would enable him to play at the base of Guardiola’s three-man midfield and possibly take charge of that spot from Fernandinho in the near future. At just 21 years of age, Neves has a long way to go and he would be the ideal long-term solution.
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Furthermore, if needed, Guardiola could also deploy him alongside Fernandinho and play with a solitary attacking midfielder up front. With Neves’ defensive nous and attacking abilities, he would certainly thrive for the Cityzens.
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