Newcastle United could look to the summer transfer market to continue their impressive rebuild at St James' Park and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target.
What's the latest on Newcastle's interest in Ruben Neves?
According to NUFC Blog, Newcastle have discussed a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves this summer.
As per the report, the publication claims they have been informed that Neves is one of the players that the recruitment team have spoken about in recent meetings and are keeping their eye on the player's situation this summer.
Who would Neves replace in the Newcastle team?
There is no doubt that the on-field chemistry between the midfield trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sean Longstaff has been hard to compete with this season and due to the rapid success have all become guaranteed names of the team sheet every week when possible for the Magpies.
Indeed, it would be easy for the Newcastle boss to simply keep the engine room of his team together due to their influential connection in the centre of the pitch, however, with Champions League football ahead of them it will be important to add depth and higher quality into key positions of the pitch to compete at an elite level.
As a result, the signing of Neves – who has an alleged price tag of £45m – could be the perfect opportunity for Howe to bring in a huge talent with a wealth of Premier League experience and the Wolves skipper could be the most likely replacement for Longstaff in the future to further improve the midfield presence.
When comparing Neves' output with his position competitor at Newcastle, the Portuguese sensation has outperformed Longstaff in a number of key attributes including goal contributions (7 v 4), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.38 v 2.22), take-on success rate (61.3% v 29.6%), tackles and interceptions won (129 v 58), progressive passes (218 v 116) and ball recoveries (237 v 141), as per FBref.
What makes that all the more impressive is that the Wolves star only played two more matches over the course of the league season than the Magpies ace.
Despite Wolves' struggles in the top flight this term, Neves has carried his team on many occasions with his relentless work ethic, ball-winning abilities and keen eye for opportunities to press opponents, which left him ranking seventh for passes into the final third and blocks, as well as coming ninth for tackles won in the entire Premier League.
The Magpies could even acquire the services of the talented 25-year-old – once hailed "sensational" by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville – for a lower price, due to the fact he will be in the final year of his contract at Molineux next season, and it would be unthinkable for Wolves to allow one of the biggest assets for free.
With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Newcastle to secure the signature of Neves as he could not only improve in Longstaff's position but provide Howe with a strong leader who can add a fresh perspective during the numerous important clashes the team will battle in next season.