After a proposed transfer to Barcelona fell through, Ruben Neves appears likely to join Al Hilal after Wolves and the Saudi Arabian team agreed on a £47 million deal.
Personal terms have been worked out, and Neves is open to the move; Neves has one year left on his current Wolves contract.
As he addressed his uncertainties about the future, Neves stated to Sky Sports at the end of the season that he wanted to play Champions League football.
“Let’s see what’s going to happen. I always say the same thing, I truly love to be here. But I never hide that I want to play Champions League football,” he said.
“In football, you need to go for your main goals, and that will be a massive decision for me and my family.”
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The 26-year-old has been linked with Manchester United in prior transfer seasons. His contract at Molineux is set to expire next summer.
In 35 Premier League appearances for Wolves during the 2022–23 season, Portugal midfielder Neves tallied six goals and one assist. In July 2017, he transferred from Porto to Wolves, where he has since played 253 times.
Neves would follow in the footsteps of his international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr in December last year as the most recent well-known athlete to relocate to the Saudi Pro League.
The current Ballon d’Or winner and former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema also moved to Saudi Arabia this summer. After leaving Real Madrid after 14 years, the 35-year-old signed for Al Ittihad, who are coached by Nuno Espirito Santo, a former manager of Wolves.
N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea have all reportedly garnered interest from Saudi Arabia. Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City is also reportedly a target for Gulf State clubs.
