Newcastle United ‘line up’ shock move for £55m Wolves favourite

Newcastle United are reportedly lining up a shock approach to sign former Wolverhampton Wanderers fan favourite Rúben Neves, from Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal. The Magpies are looking to fill the void left by Sandro Tonali after the £55 million summer acquisition was handed a 10-month ban from football.

Tonali had been under investigation by the Italian Football Federation for breaching betting rules and it has now been confirmed the 23-year-old had indeed done so. The Italy international won’t be able to feature in any matches until August, meaning he will miss the rest of the 2023/24 season, as well as Euro 2024.

talkSPORT reports Newcastle are considering a loan move for Neves, providing them with a top-class midfield option for the time Tonali is unavailable. The Toon’s owners, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, have a 75 per cent stake in Neves’ current club, Al-Hilal, so it would likely be a fairly straightforward transer to complete.

Neves, who joined moved to Saudi Arabia for £50 million in the summer, spent six years at Wolves. In that time, he made 253 appearances for the Old Gold, scoring 30 goals and notching 13 assists in the process. Many Wanderers fans see the midfielder, who has 44 senior Portugal caps to his name, as one of the greatest players in the club’s history.