Manchester United were linked with a move for Ruben Neves over the summer as they sought to strengthen their midfield.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers captain has become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League since his €18m move from FC Porto.
And while the Red Devil’s unsuccessful attempts to lure Frenkie de Jong to the club were cited as the reason behind their lack of movement regarding Neves, reports suggest that United did try to sign to Portugal midfielder.
Spanish outlet Sport suggests that both Manchester United and Liverpool contacted super-agent Jorge Mendes over the possibility of a summer transfer.
However both were rebuffed once Neves heard of interest from La Liga giants FC Barcelona.
His interest in becoming a Barca player was strong enough to convince him to spend an extra year at Wolves.
The Blaugrana were unable to move for Neves this summer due to their financial situation.
Their finances were so dire that Barcelona were only able to sign Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso in the summer.
The La Liga giants are expected to make their move for Ruben Neves next summer, having earmarked the Portugal player as a replacement for Sergio Busquets.
As for United, Casemiro was signed to reinforce the defensive midfield position, while Christian Eriksen has taken to the playmaker role with style so far this season.
A player of Neves’ profile, who could cover both roles, would be a good acquisition in future, with Eriksen in particular lacking a backup in the squad.
Man United will surely be looking at strengthening their midfield further, but they are unlikely to do so via Ruben Neves.
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