Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves eyeing Real Madrid move in January | OneFootball

Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves reportedly wants to join Real Madrid in the January transfer window ( h/t Diario AS).

The Portuguese midfielder’s contract expires next summer. Despite the Saudi Pro League (SPL) club’s attractive renewal offer, he has set his sights on a potential move to Madrid.

However, Los Blancos are not convinced by the former Wolverhampton Wanderers star’s profile, although they are open to reinforcing the midfield midway through the season.

They are not interested in paying a transfer fee for a player who will possibly become a free agent in a few months. Neves could become an option for Los Blancos this summer.

The La Liga giants are looking to recruit a top-class playmaker in the mould of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric next summer, and Neves fits the bill.

The 28-year-old jumped on the bandwagon of high-profile players moving to the SPL when he completed a transfer to Al-Hilal in 2023.

Neves specialises in controlling the tempo and deep playmaking. He has great passing vision and is adept at scoring long-range screamers.

Madrid forwards Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo could feed off Neves’ impeccable long-range passing.

Los Merengues are currently stacked with quality midfield options such as Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, but they lack a tempo controller.

With Dani Ceballos linked with an exit due to a lack of game time, Neves could be a solid option for Los Blancos, especially given that he would be available for free.

Madrid have also lined up Manchester City’s Rodri, Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha and AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit as top targets.