As Arsenal look to improve their squad this summer with a series of new signings, it seems as though Mikel Arteta may have found the main man to run his midfield.
While the signing of Albert Sambi Lokonga seems inevitable, the club are believed to be interested in making another more senior signing in that area of the pitch.
According to reports from Portuguese outlet Record, the Gunners have now opened talks over the potential signing of Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.
The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to North London on a number of occasions already this summer, but this may well signify just how prepared they are to bring Neves to the club.
A reported fee of around €40million (£34.2million) has been touted in a number of outlets, and with Granit Xhaka set to sign for Roma – and Dani Ceballos returning to Real Madrid – Arsenal certainly will need to splash the cash to rebuild their midfield.
Neves joined Wolves from Porto in 2017 and has been a stalwart at the heart of the team, helping the club regain Premier League status and impress in the following seasons.
With Nuno Espirito Santo leaving for Tottenham, Wolves are set to embark upon a new era. However, they may have to do so without one of their most relied-upon players in Neves
It is likely that the Portuguese international would sit alongside Thomas Partey in the midfield, acting as a somewhat like-for-like replacement for Xhaka, who is expected to seal a move to Roma this summer.
football.london understands that there was a breakthrough in talks back in June between Xhaka and Roma over a five-year deal for the midfielder, with Arsenal set to earn a fee of around £17million for the Swiss international.
However, a move is yet to go through for the midfielder following his involvement at Euro 2020.
