According to reports from O Jogo via Sport Witness and The Metro, West Ham have emerged as surprise suitors in the race to sign Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool target Ruben Neves.
The FC Porto starlet became the youngest captain in Champions League history during a 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv earlier this season and is now a fully-fledged Portugal international, with a call-up to Fernando Santos’ latest senior squad. And the 18-year-old midfielder’s incredible rise since his debut at the start of last season has gained him plenty of admirers from the Premier League.
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Chelsea were first linked with Neves in September and have since been tipped to launch a bid at the end of the season, Liverpool have been tracking him some time and made an ‘informal enquiry‘ in October, whilst Arsenal have been scouting the two-cap international relentlessly since Francis Coquelin’s injury at the end of last month – they even sent former star Luis Boa Morte to run the rule over him last week.
But according to O Jogo, fellow Premier League outfit West Ham could be set to rival Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool’s interest in the teenage sensation. Hammers scouts have also been present during Porto’s recent fixtures, with Neves believed to be the object of their attention.
With a release clause of £29million, any formal approach for Neves would be ambitious to say the least – constituting a club-record signing at Upton Park by quite some distance. But the Premier League’s continually increasing TV revenues are vastly enhancing the spending power of clubs like West Ham.