Ruben Neves, a defensive midfielder for Al-Hilal, has expressed interest in moving to Tyneside, which has buoyed Newcastle United.
Although Ruben Neves of Al-Hilal is ‘open to the move’, Newcastle United’s pursuit of him has been strengthened. However, journalist Ben Jacobs has informed GIVEMESPORT that a January transfer to St James’ Park may not be straightforward for a crucial reason.
Eddie Howe, the manager of the Magpies, had changed his plans for the winter transfer window when he found out that Sandro Tonali had been suspended for ten months for breaking betting laws. As a result, he won’t be able to play until the beginning of the next season.
Because of this, Newcastle is expected to look for reinforcements even though they also spent over £130 million in the summer in an attempt to influence the team’s eagerly anticipated return to the Champions League.
Neves on Howe’s radar as Tonali replacement
The Sun claims that Newcastle has set their sights on acquiring Neves at the beginning of the new year, as a result of Tonali’s suspension forcing Howe to search the market for a possible replacement before the transfer window reopens for business.
The defensive midfielder, who only departed the Premier League in a £47 million trade a few months ago, is reportedly being looked at by the Magpies for a loan move. The fact that Al-Hilal is also owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund has reportedly increased the Magpies’ chances of landing a deal.
Although sporting director Dan Ashworth has stated that there are no obstacles preventing Newcastle from acquiring players who are currently under contract with other teams owned by the same people, this may be about to change in the next few days.
This is because Premier League teams will vote at their next shareholders’ meeting later this month on whether to expedite the imposition of a temporary restriction on loan transfers between affiliated clubs, which would effectively end the Tyneside giants’ aspirations of obtaining Neves.
| Ruben Neves’ senior club career in numbers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Sent off |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 253 | 30 | 13 | 63 | 1 |
| Porto | 93 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 0 |
| Al-Hilal | 17 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| All statistics according to Transfermarkt up to and including November 10, 2023 | |||||
While reputable reporter Jacobs recently told GIVEMESPORT that Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe has made his way onto Howe’s radar, Newcastle is not only keen on signing the Portugal international. The Al-Hilal man would bring a wealth of Premier League experience to St James’ Park.
After making 177 Premier League games while wearing a Wolverhampton Wanderers shirt, Neves scored 21 goals and provided nine assists for his colleagues, earning him a high-paying contract in the Middle East.
The 26-year-old chose to sign a contract for approximately £290,000 per week when he decided to go from Molineux to Al-Hilal in the high-spending Saudi Pro League in the summer.
Ben Jacobs update – Ruben Neves
Even if the interim prohibition on loan movements between affiliated clubs is not ratified, Jacobs knows that Neves is keen to link up with Newcastle in the winter window in order to secure a speedy return to the Premier League. However, he also knows that striking an agreement will not be easy.
The respected reporter knows that even though Al-Hilal is also owned by PIF, they do not want to approve of the former Porto player’s exit, and Magpies chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan has no say in the matter.
Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT:
“I think Tonali’s absence will make Newcastle more likely to move in January, and especially so if they can still get out of their Champions League group. It is harder now they’ve lost away at Borussia Dortmund, but it’s still very tight.
“A loan move makes a lot of sense because you know that Tonali is coming back. Neves is one possibility and the player is open to the move, but it’s not a given because Al-Hilal and the Saudi deal-makers are not.
“That’s the irony in all of this because the Saudi deal-makers, in the context of Al-Hilal, are the same company that own Newcastle. But that just shows you how big PIF are because the personnel at Al-Hilal and involved in the Ruben Neves deal are not, for example, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is the chairman of Newcastle and also PIF.
“Don’t assume that there will be unity within PIF on this. Newcastle may want Neves, and it may feel like they can just go and get him because they’re PIF-owned and Al-Hilal are PIF-controlled.”
Newcastle facing battle to land Kelly
Despite strong interest before to the winter transfer window, Bournemouth has reportedly decided not to consider moving the central defender in January, which has dealt a setback to Newcastle’s pursuit of Lloyd Kelly. This information was reported by TEAMtalk.
The source claims that in addition to the Magpies, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, AC Milan, Juventus, and Borussia Dortmund are also considering whether to put the former England under-21 international to the test. The player has been with the south coast club since completing a £13 million transfer from Championship team Bristol City in 2019.
After identifying Kelly as a goal in the summer, Tottenham is anticipated to step up their efforts once more to acquire him, especially in light of Micky van de Ven’s hamstring injury.
In the upcoming months, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, a rival team in North London to Spurs, is also considering a move for the 25-year-old as he wants to go further in the competition for the Premier League crown this season.Kelly’s £30,000-per-week contract is set to expire in the new year, so unless Bournemouth can persuade him to sign new terms, their only chance to cash in will be during the winter transfer window.
