Ruben Neves: Man United accelerate deal for former Wolves star

In partnership with

The Peoples Person

·22 January 2026

Ruben Neves: Man United accelerate deal for former Wolves star

Manchester United have been improving lately and currently find themselves fifth in the Premier League table.

Need for midfield reinforcements

The re-emergence of Kobbie Mainoo under Michael Carrick has slightly lessened United’s need for a midfielder, after the Carrington graduate was regularly overlooked by Ruben Amorim.

OneFootball Videos

Nonetheless, with the futures of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes far from settled, Manchester United will still likely need a midfielder or two this summer.

They have been linked to the likes of Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson, but none of these players are available in the winter.

Therefore, to push their Champions League charge, there have been reports that the club are interested in a “secret midfielder” this winter market.

Ruben Neves interest

One midfielder Manchester United have been linked to for years is Ruben Neves, who is currently playing at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

The Portuguese midfielder is believed to be keen on a move to Old Trafford, and it has been reported that Manchester United would be willing to do a deal to sign the player they consider “special” for Michael Carrick this summer.

Offer

Spanish outlet Fichajes reports that Neves is not a priority for Real Madrid this winter, and this has opened the door for other European teams, including Manchester United.

According to the report, “Manchester United has been the first to make a decisive move” and they have made a proposal just under £20 million.

What’s more, “at Old Trafford, they consider it a market opportunity. They prefer to pay now and secure the signing rather than enter a summer bidding war.”

Helpfully, Neves would happily take a pay cut to facilitate the deal.

Manchester United feel that the former Wolverhampton Wanderers player “would bring order, experience, and leadership” to their midfield department.

The outlet stresses that Real Madrid is still the midfielder’s priority, but a summary of the current situation is, “Manchester United is accelerating. Real Madrid is staying on the sidelines. And Rúben Neves is closer than ever to saying goodbye to Al Hilal.”