Man United ready to pounce for midfielder transfer if another major deal goes through

Manchester United are reportedly looking to take advantage of Wolves’ expected transfer of Joao Palhinha and make a bid for Ruben Neves.

It has been reported that Wolverhampton Wanderers have been preparing a Neves replacement in the form of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Palhinha for a fee of £20million.

The Portuguese midfielder has been tipped to leave Wolves this summer after serving consistently at Molineux for five years.

The 25-year-old Portugal international joined the Wanderers from Porto in 2017 for £16million (Transfermarkt) and has since appeared in 212 matches across all competitions.

According to Rob Blanchette, United will take advantage of Wolves’ transfer situation with Palhinha and trigger an offer for Neves.

#MUFC will take advantage of Joao Palhinha’s expected arrival at Wolves to trigger their offer for Ruben Neves. United have scouted Palhinha but won’t compete for the player’s signature if Wolves agree a price for their Portuguese midfielder. #TheMasterclass

— Rob Blanchette (@_Rob_B) June 12, 2022

With Palhinha reportedly on his way to Molineux, the club will undoubtedly be more willing to allow Neves to depart.

Aside from Man United, Barcelona (as per Sport) and Arsenal (as per the Daily Mail) have registered their interest in signing the midfielder.

With Manchester United and Arsenal failing to acquire a spot in the Champions League, it will be interesting to see if Neves opts to stay in the Premier League or ventures to Champions League side Barcelona.