Barcelona have been in close contact with Jorge Mendes in recently, particularly over the future of Ansu Fati. The Portuguese super-agent is reportedly doing everything he can to convince the player to leave Camp Nou this summer.
But apart from Fati, Mendes has also been involved in a dialogue with Barça over the future of Ruben Neves. The Wolves star is one of the club’s top candidates as they look to find a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets this summer.
According to a report from Diario SPORT, Barcelona have given Mendes assurance that they will sign Neves sooner or later.
It appears the Catalans are acting out of necessity rather than desire as the club have no other viable options in the market other than Neves. They have been keeping close tabs on Martin Zubimendi and Joshua Kimmich, but both players are set to cost a fortune.
Sofyan Amrabat was identified as a cost-effective alternative. But even Fiorentina are now demanding at least €30 million for the Moroccan international, who is also courted by a series of other clubs in Europe including Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Barcelona, therefore, may have no choice but to splash the cash on Neves. The Portuguese international could come for cheap due to Neves’ excellent relationship with Joan Laporta. But the Barça coaching staff is not entirely on board with the idea of signing the Wolves midfielder.
Xavi Hernandez, in particular, doubts the player’s defensive prowess and is preferring other alternatives in the market. So it will be interesting to see how Barcelona approach this matter and work it out with the coaching staff to sign the Wolves star.
The coming weeks could prove to be critical as Barcelona look to move through with their squad planning ahead of the new season.
