The Magpies have been rumoured with a loan move in January to cover the absence of Sandro Tonali, with the Italian set to miss the rest of the season with a ban due to breaching of betting regulations. The only issue for Eddie Howe is links between Neves' club Al-Hilal and his ownership.
The PIF, the Saudi Arabian state's Public Investment Fund, owns both sides and there is set to be a vote amongst the Premier League teams that will decide whether loans are allowed through ownership groups. Should that go through, Arsenal would be clear frontrunners to land Neves.
That deal comes almost three-years since they were rumoured with a move for the Portuguese international to add to their squad. That never quite worked out for Sporting Director Edu, but any move this January may put those actions of the past firmly behind him.
A switch for the 26-year-old could help add some much-needed quality in depth for Arsenal ahead of an extremely busy period of the season. An injury for Thomas Partey looks set to rule him out until the new year as football.london understands the 30-year-old recently underwent a procedure.
On top of that is the fact that the African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup is set to take place in the new year, resulting in extra absences for international call-ups. Neves could help provide temporary relief for the remainder of the campaign and help the title surge.It would allow him to finally partner up with Declan Rice, a duo that would have been on many top teams' shopping list over recent years. It remains to be seen if it will go through, but it could be a season-defining decision once the January transfer window rolls around.
0 Comments