The Guardian (USA)

Wolves captain Rúben Neves set to join AlHilal in Saudi Arabia for £47m

- Fabrizio Romano

Al-Hilal have offered Wolves a club record £47m deal to sign their captain, Rúben Neves, with the Portugal midfielder expected to finalise a move to the Saudi Arabian club this week.

Neves, who is out of contract with Wolves at the end of next season having joined from Porto in 2017, has been a target for Barcelona for some time but they have yet to agree a deal for him. That delay has allowed AlHilal to submit their sizeable offer for the 26-year-old, with talks ongoing between the club and his agent, Jorge Mendes, and Neves likely to complete the move when he returns from internatio­nal duty next week.

It is understood Mendes has been instrument­al in sealing the deal with Al-Hilal, who have also offered the Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku a lucrative contract but failed with their attempts to sign Luka Modric from Real Madrid despite him reportedly being offered a three-year contract worth £170m. The £47m fee, which would surpass the initial £40m Liverpool paid for Diogo Jota in 2020, will be a significan­t boost for Wolves in a transfer window where they must first raise funds to ease financial fair play concerns.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich have agreed a five-year deal to sign Kim Minjae from Napoli.

The South Korea defender, who has also been linked with Manchester United, has a €50m release clause that becomes valid on 1 July and could still receive proposals from other clubs.

Barcelona are closing in on a deal with Athletico Paranaense for Vitor Roque, with talks believed to be at final stages. The 18-year-old forward is expected to cost €35m plus €10m add-ons having agreed a contact until 2028.

 ?? WWFC/Wolverhamp­ton Wanderers FC/Getty Images ?? Rúben Neves is expected to seal his move to Al-Hilal when he returns from internatio­nal duty with Portugal. Photograph: Jack Thomas/
WWFC/Wolverhamp­ton Wanderers FC/Getty Images Rúben Neves is expected to seal his move to Al-Hilal when he returns from internatio­nal duty with Portugal. Photograph: Jack Thomas/

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