Xavi vetoed Barcelona move for Ruben Neves, could repeat it with another Portuguese star

AS journalist Javi Miguel has offered a key insight into Barcelona’s pursuit of Ruben Neves.

Miguel suggests Xavi had pulled the plug on the Neves deal just when it was about to be completed. Now, the Barça coach could do the same to yet another Portuguese player, who is represented by Jorge Mendes.

The disagreement about Ruben Neves at Barcelona

Neves was a hot topic at Barcelona earlier in the summer. The former Wolves star had emerged as one of the club’s options in their bid to sign a replacement for Sergio Busquets.

The Barcelona board, thanks to their excellent relationship with Jorge Mendes, had pushed for the signing of Neves.

However, the coaching staff was not on board with the idea, with Xavi, in particular, refusing to sign the Portuguese international owing to his lack of defensive acumen.

Neves ended up accepting a lucrative proposal from Al Hilal where he has become teammates with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and former Barcelona star Malcom.

Who is the next Portuguese star?

The tweet from Javi Miguel suggests Xavi could end up blocking a deal for yet another Portuguese target of Barcelona, represented by agent Mendes.

The three potential candidates are Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, and Joao Felix. All three of them have been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou recently, especially amid Ousmane Dembele’s exit links.

However, Felix is the likely victim, as the Atletico Madrid forward is not completely rated by Xavi.

In contrast, the Barcelona coach is a massive fan of Silva and Cancelo. He wants both players to join Barcelona ahead of the new season.

While that might not be a possibility, it is apparent that Barça could stall the pursuit of Felix because of Xavi, despite reports suggesting that the Portuguese international is the closest to joining the club.

So it will be interesting to see how things transpire in the coming days.