Arsenal appear to be pressing ahead with their summer transfer business after suffering a blow in their bid to sign Emiliano Buendia.
On Monday morning it was confirmed that Aston Villa had reached an agreement with Norwich City for the attacking midfielder and he is expected to complete his move in the coming days.
Arsenal did hold a serious interest in Buendia, even submitting a bid of more than £30million, but have been beaten to the punch by the Midlands outfit.
But with a busy summer at the Emirates Stadium expected following a disappointing 2020/21 season, there's no time to dwell as a squad overhaul has been mooted.
As a result, the Gunners have reportedly turned their attentions elsewhere and reports over the weekend suggest that Arsenal will now try and make a move for Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.
In a boost for the north London outfit, the Daily Mail claim Neves 'is aware of the interest and indicated his willingness to join the club to his teammates' as Wolves 'brace' themselves for a bid for the £35m-rated midfielder.
Whilst there has been a debate on social media as to if signing Neves would improve the first-team squad, he does possess one particular quality that would make him a welcome addition at the Emirates Stadium.
During his time in the Premier League, and once with the Portugal U21 national team, Neves has proven himself to be one of the most reliable penalty takers around.
Of the eight he's taken throughout his career, only one has been missed and that was during the 2017/18 season in the Championship when he failed to score in a 2-0 loss against Sheffield United.
But he has a 100% conversion rate from the spot in the Premier League - including one against Arsenal as Wolves came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Molineux back in February.
Of course, Arsenal already have someone who is just as reliable from 12 yards in captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and manager Mikel Arteta has decided who his first-choice penalty taker is.
"Yes, Auba will start taking the penalties, for now," Arteta confirmed earlier in the campaign.
However, could Arteta be tempted to reverse this decision if Edu seals a £35m move for Neves?
Well, it's worth taking under consideration as the midfielder is almost perfect from the spot while Aubameyang has missed a total of eight penalties throughout his career.
