Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to make a contract offer to midfielder Ruben Neves as Bruno Lage aims to keep the player at Molineux for the foreseeable future.
What’s the word?
That’s according to Dean Jones who was speaking to GIVEMESPORT about Wolves’ plans for the Portuguese midfielder, saying:
“Wolves would love him to stay, and they will make him an offer, but Neves, to this point anyway, hasn’t shown much willingness to actually extend his stay.”
So even though an offer seems fairly imminent, it might not be enough for Lage unless he manages to convince the player to remain beyond 2024.
Relief for Lage?
Since signing for Wolves in 2017, the silky and battle-hardened midfielder has played 215 matches in all competitions for the club, scoring 25 goals and grabbing 12 assists from mainly a defensive midfield position.
The 25-year-old led the club back into the Premier League in his first season at the Midlands side and then helped them consolidate their position, finishing back-to-back campaigns in seventh place before finishing in 13th under Nuno Espirito Santo in their first three campaigns.
Another top-half finish last season in Lage’s first full campaign saw Neves chip in with four goals, finishing as their joint third highest scorer in the league whilst averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.85, ranking him sixth in the Wolves squad.
Following their final match of last season, Neves was tearful and with rumours linking him to Barcelona, admitted that he needs to “live his football dreams” in what was a blow to the Molineux faithful.
He still remains at the club, and with Lage slapping a £70m price tag on his head, a list of potential suitors may have significantly dwindled.
Fellow Premier League side Manchester United were interested in Neves, with former United defender Rio Ferdinand lauding the midfielder as “fantastic” and there’s absolutely no doubt he could work wonders in their midfield.
Will Ruben Neves sign a new contract?
This is precisely the reason Lage wants the 25-year-old to stay at Molineux, and despite a woeful start from the Old Gold, Neves ranks first in the squad with a rating of 7.19 as per WhoScored, showing just how much of an influence he really is.
Lage will be determined to get the £50k-per-week earner to sign a new long-term deal and if he does, it would be a big relief for the boss. That said, it still looks unlikely at this stage so the Portuguese manager needs to do all he can to convince him to change his mind.