Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly keen on signing Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves this summer.
According to Alexis Bernard in Le 10 Sport, the 23-year-old appeals to Mourinho as an option ahead of next season, with Tottenham looking like the ‘preferred track’ of the former Porto man should he leave the Old Gold this summer. The Portuguese midfielder signed for Wolves back in 2017 and has gone on to make 125 appearances for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, contributing 15 goals and seven assists (per Transfermarkt).
So far this season, the young midfielder has appeared in every single Premier League game for Wolves, earning a solid 6.76/10 average rating across his 29 appearances in the top flight (per WhoScored). The middleman ranks third in terms of average passes per game for Wolves, and fourth in terms of interceptions (per WhoScored), suggesting that he could be a strong defensive-minded addition in Mourinho’s side.
Interestingly, Mourinho is a long-time admirer of the midfielder.
Is Neves a realistic option for Spurs this summer?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
It could also be argued that the Lilywhites are in need of a defensive-minded midfielder in the summer transfer window when you consider that Victor Wanyama departed in March, whilst it has been reported that Eric Dier will be featuring more regularly as a centre-back, rather than as a defensive-midfielder when the season resumes. Mourinho’s side has also kept just four clean sheets in the Premier League so far this season, so it certainly seems as if they need to strengthen defensively.
There appear to be two main obstacles for Spurs in the potential signing of Neves, with the first being finances. The Portugal international is currently valued at £36 million by Transfermarkt, and due to the current viral outbreak, it seems as if the Lilywhites will be limited to just free transfers and swap deals this summer.
The second obstacle is perhaps whether Neves would even want to leave Wolves, as based on the current Premier League standings, he looks more likely to be playing European football next season if he stays where he is, rather than joining Spurs. Therefore, we feel that this transfer is perhaps a slightly unrealistic one for the Lilywhites this summer.