Barcelona sporting staff have doubts about Premier League midfielder amid advanced links

According to SPORT, Barcelona have made it a top mission to sign a pivot midfielder in the January transfer window as they wish to bring in more cover and competition for Sergio Busquets. And Ruben Neves is emerging as the most feasible option for the Blaugrana.

The 25-year-old Wolves midfielder has long been linked with a move to Camp Nou. There had been strong rumours about a transfer in the summer window as well, but the Premier League club’s €50 million demands meant that it did not materialise.

However, Neves has continued to be on the radars of Barcelona and his agent, Jorge Mendes, is reportedly doing everything to make the switch happen.

The Portuguese super-agent had a meeting with Barça president Joan Laporta and director Mateu Alemany earlier this month to offer Neves to the Catalan club.

Thanks to Mendes, Barcelona believe that a move to sign Neves midway through the campaign will be financially feasible as he could help them sign him on a six-month loan deal with a permanent purchase clause at the end of the season.

While Barça believe that a move is feasible from an economic standpoint, the report adds that the sporting staff have doubts about Neves’ profile and are not entirely convinced that he can fit into the role played by Busquets.

Xavi wants a player who can make the entire team dynamic and boasts excellent technical ability and range of distribution. However, at the same time, the Blaugrana need the player to be strong physically and be able to put in the hard yards off the ball, apart from making accurate passes.

This is why Aurelien Tchouameni was seen as an option in the summer, but Real Madrid’s huge offer meant Barça were left with no chance of signing him.

Mendes, for his part, is working to make the switch happen and things are advanced from the player’s camp. However, despite that, Barcelona are yet to be convinced fully from a sporting sense and are still looking at other options.

Martin Zubimendi was Xavi’s most-favoured option, but that move looks unlikely after he signed a new contract at Real Sociedad. Edson Alvarez of AFC Ajax has also emerged as a target and it remains to be seen how things evolve.

For now, though, Neves looks like the most viable target for Barcelona, although the sporting staff continue to have doubts.

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