Arsenal are Barcelona's biggest rival for Wolves midfielder Neves

If in the past summer, FC Barcelona had to 'fight' with Chelsea to get the signings of Kounde and Raphinha, coming out the winner on both operations, the club could be about to start a new dispute with another team from London, Arsenal, for the incorporation of Rubén Neves, the Wolverhampton midfielder.

The Portuguese international is Barça's number one target to strengthen their midfield, which will be weakened with the departure of Sergio Busquets, whose contract ends at the end of the season. Barça already tried to sign Neves last summer but the high demands of the English club made it impossible for him to join. In addition, at that time Barça prioritized other players and positions. There was no money left for the midfielder and they were well-covered with Busquets, De Jong, Nico and Pjanic, before the latter two left.

Neves is a priority because his contract ends in 2024 and Wolves will be forced to lower their demands from last summer. They asked for between 50 and 60 million euros for Neves, amounts that Barça neither wanted nor were willing to pay. Arsenal also bid for him because the Portuguese midfielder is liked by the coach, Mikel Arteta, but he also found Wolves refusing to negotiate. The Londoners will return to the fray because, like Barça, they know perfectly well that Wolves are obliged to negotiate a transfer because Neves has no intention of renewing his contract.

With this scenario, it will be necessary to see which of the two teams presents a more attractive offer and, in this sense, the Portuguese midfielder prioritises coming to Barcelona and leaving the English league, where he believes that a cycle may have already finished. He also understands that playing at Camp Nou would be a step forward in his career because, despite some bad recent years in Europe, Barça are still bigger than Arsenal.