Manchester City eyeing summer move for unhappy Saudi Pro League star

Manchester City are considering a summer move for Saudi Pro League star Ruben Neves, as the midfielder looks to return to playing football in Europe.

The 26-year-old completed a surprise £47 million move to Al-Hilal in June, leaving Premier League side Wolves after six years.

Neves made over 250 appearances for Wolves and was linked with a potential move to either Barcelona or Manchester United before completing a club-record switch to the Saudi Pro League.

The Portugal international was amongst a number of Premier League players to move to the Middle East during the summer, with Manchester City treble-winning duo Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte amongst the stars to sign for Saudi Pro League teams.

Former Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson and Chelsea veteran N’Golo Kante also joined Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in switching to the newly-formed division.

Neves has made 15 appearances for Al-Hilal but is already reportedly considering leaving the Saudi Pro League and returning to playing football in Europe, with Manchester City amongst the clubs interested in signing the midfielder.

Football Insider claim that Pep Guardiola’s side could rival Newcastle United for the 26-year-olds signature next summer, as Manchester City look to further bolster their midfield after the departure of Ilkay Gundogan.

Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes both signed for Manchester City this summer, but concerns have been raised about the pair, after the Sky Blues fell to four games without a win in the Premier League.

Guardiola is claimed to be a “huge fan” of the Portugal midfielder and “believes” that Neves fits the profile to potentially feature for the Etihad Stadium outfit.

Manchester City have a “concrete” interest in signing Neves, however are unlikely to make any move for the player until the summer.

Newcastle are are also known to hold an interest in signing the midfielder, with recent reports suggesting that the Magpies could look to sign Neves in January, following Sandro Tonali’s shock 10-month ban for illegal betting.