Barcelona have ‘practically sealed’ Premier League midfielder’s transfer despite Xavi’s doubts

In a huge development, SPORT is reporting that Barcelona are in the advanced stages of an operation to close the signing of Ruben Neves from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer.

The Premier League midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou for several months now as a possible replacement for Sergio Busquets.

However, manager Xavi Hernandez has doubts about the Portuguese international as he believes that Neves is not suited to playing as a single pivot. Instead, the Barcelona manager sees him more as an interior midfielder or as someone who can play in a double pivot.

Despite this, the Barcelona board have been pushing for Neves’ signing and are now believed to have ‘practically sealed’ the signing of the 25-year-old midfielder for the summer window.

As per the report, it will be a low-cost operation with the fee further likely to be driven down by the inclusion of a player. Wolves would be open to accepting Barcelona stars Franck Kessie or Nico Gonzalez as part of the deal to send Neves the other way.

The Portuguese international, for his part, has been gunning to join Barça. He is understood to have rejected offers from several clubs in the summer in order to wait for the Catalan giants. And now, a move could very well be on the horizon, even though Xavi is not entirely sold on the idea.

The 42-year-old tactician is still pushing for Busquets to renew and stay at the club for one more season. At the same time, Frenkie de Jong is also being tried as an option in the pivot role.

In the scenario that Busquets renews or de Jong is fully converted into a pivot midfielder, Neves could become an option for the interior roles.

Either way, the Portuguese international’s signing has a lot of backing from the club’s administration and could be given the final OK which has been delayed only due to Xavi’s doubts.