Report: £50m player Arsenal were desperate to land last summer now set to sign for

 Barcelona are close to signing Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, with reports from Spain claiming a deal is all but done for the Portuguese ace.

Neves has been the pillar of Wolves’ team for a number of seasons now but has long been linked with a move away.

Indeed, it was only back in the summer that Arsenal were said to be pushing for Neves. Liverpool, too, are thought to have watched Neves a lot as they continue to search for new midfield options.

However, reports from Spanish outlet SPORT now claim that Neves will sign for Barcelona. SPORT reports the club are pushing to complete a deal for Neves, despite Xavi having certain reservations about the Wolves ace.

Wolves have resisted previous offers and interest in Neves. However, it’s long been accepted that should a bid in the region of £50m come in for Neves, then Wolves might do business.

Whether or not Barcelona will pay such a fee remains to be seen. The Catalan club used a number of ‘economic levers’ in the summer and are thought to be low on spending power

TBR’s View: Neves to Barcelona a shame for the Premier League

It would have been nice to see Ruben Neves make the move to a Liverpool or Arsenal and use that experience from Wolves to push on.

Of course, you can’t deny moving to Barcelona is as good as it gets in world football. But long-term, they seem to be a club heading for disaster and Neves might find he’d be better staying in England.

For Liverpool and Arsenal, this seems to be another missed chance. The door seems to have been ajar for them to sign Neves for some time, and they’ve missed the boat.

Focus will now surely turn to other targets, with both the Gunners and Reds keen to strengthen the ranks.