Arsenal have been impacted in their attempts to solve their midfield problems. Paul Pogba’s proposed move to Barcelona could increase the Gunners’ competition to sign Ruben Neves from Wolves.
According to the Daily Star, Barcelona are lining up a free-transfer move for Pogba. The report goes on to claim that his Manchester United contract expires this summer and he does intend to stay at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have also been linked to Ruben Neves, and the potential loss of Pogba could see them step up their chase for the Portuguese international. Arsenal are reportedly interested in Neves, and losing out on him to Manchester United would certainly be a big blow
READ MORE: Arsenal receive fourth spot guarantee after Manchester United's Champions League humiliation
READ MORE: Arsenal receive fourth spot guarantee after Manchester United's Champions League humiliation
The Gunners are in desperate need of a midfielder due to shortages in the position, which also coincides with a lack of quality, and it is something that Arteta needs to address.
Arsenal are set to be short in the midfield position in the summer. This is because football.london understands that Roma are expected to make a fresh attempt to sign Granit Xhaka at the end of the season.
This will mean that Thomas Partey would be the only experienced midfielder in the team. Mohamed Elneny’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and Albert Sambi Lokonga still needs time to mature.
Neves would be the perfect solution to Arsenal’s shortages, as he is a composed midfielder who handles the basics excellently, and aside from an occasional marvelous free-kick, he is usually not the type of player to feature on a headline. He has plenty of Premier League experience and has shown that he is capable of competing with the best clubs in the land, and would certainly improve the Arsenal midfield.
At the end of the season, the midfielder’s contract will only have two years remaining, and Wolves will have to decide whether to sell him to prevent losing him for a cut-price in the following year, due to his expiring deal. Arsenal could certainly exploit his current contract situation by persuading him with Champions League football ahead of next season.
However a deal will be proven tough to complete due the strong interest of Manchester United if Pogba was to depart from the club. However, with only one of the sides likely to be in the Europe’s elite competition ahead of next season, Arteta knows what it would take to blow the Red Devils out of the water in the pursuit for Neves.
