Wolverhampton Wanderers’ ability to keep Rúben Neves at the club this summer could ‘soften the blow’ of losing Morgan Gibbs-White.
That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who was speaking to This Is Futbol about Wolves’ summer transfer window thus far.
Bruno Lage’s side have signed just one player this summer, with Republic of Ireland centre-back Nathan Collins arriving from Burnley for £20.5m earlier this month.
The West Midlands side potentially face losing two midfielders this summer, with Neves and Gibbs-White both being linked with moves away. Wolves rejected a £20m offer from Everton for the latter last week.
Meanwhile, it was widely assumed that Neves was likely to depart Molineux this summer, but with no serious offers materialising for the midfielder and a new contract offer on the table, there is a chance the Portugal midfielder is still playing in gold and black when the window shuts in September.
And O’Rourke believes that if Wolves can keep hold of Neves, it will be a ‘huge lift’ for the club.
He said: “If Gibbs-White does move on, it gives them some extra money to maybe use in the transfer market as well.
“They couldn’t afford to lose Gibbs-White and Neves this summer, it would leave the midfield short.
“They are working hard to try and get Neves tied down to a new contract because he’s constantly being linked with a move away to some big clubs across Europe and in the Premier League.
“Although it’d be a blow to lose Gibbs-White, I think keeping Neves would soften the blow as well and it would be a huge lift for everybody connected to Wolves.”
TIF Thoughts on O’Rourke’s comments…
We believe that every Wolves fan would be delighted if Neves, described as “sensational” by The Athletic’s Tim Spiers, was still plying his trade at Molineux come the end of the window.
The 25-year-old achieved an average SofaScore match rating of 7.11 for his Premier League performances last season – the highest at the club – suggesting that he is absolutely critical to Wolves’ on-field success over the coming season.
We think that Fosun should be doing everything in their power to keep the midfield maestro at Molineux this summer, with Neves potentially being the catalyst for how successful Lage’s side can be in the term ahead.