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Chelsea Target Wolves Midfielder In £38m January Deal

Chelsea Target Wolves Midfielder In £38m January Deal

Chelsea could be set to raid Molineux next month.

Chelsea are interested in signing Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves in the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Blues have seen their title challenge falter in recent weeks after dropping points against Wolves, Everton and West Ham.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is reportedly keen to bolster his midfield options and could be looking to raid Molineux next month.

According to TodoFichajes, Tuchel is keen to sign Portugal international Neves, who has impressed since joining Wolves from Porto in 2017.

Neves has made 194 appearances for Wolves since joining the club in 2017 (Image credit: Alamy)
Neves has made 194 appearances for Wolves since joining the club in 2017 (Image credit: Alamy)

Neves, 24, has now racked up 194 appearances for the Premier League club, scoring 21 goals in all competitions.

He still has two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract at Molineux and Wolves are set to demand around £38m for the midfielder, according to the report.

N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have all missed games this season through injury and Tuchel is said to want more cover in his midfield, having lost faith with Saul Niguez.

Chelsea signed the Spain international on loan from Atletico Madrid in the summer but he has struggled to adapt to English football and is yet to start a match in the Premier League.

Wolves boss Bruno Lage believes Neves is a “top player” and compared him to Jorginho ahead of Sunday’s match against Chelsea, which ended in a 0-0 draw.

“Midfielders are very important and Jorginho is one of the best in that position at the moment” said Lage.

“If you look, every time they get pressed, they always look to find Jorginho and he will find spaces in front. He’s very clever in that way.

“When I’ve watched him play that position, you can learn, especially when he’s playing in their half of the pitch, in the way he puts his body and starts to look right to left to find the spaces before passing the ball.

Wolves are set to demand around £38m for Neves, according to reports (Image credit: Alamy)
Wolves are set to demand around £38m for Neves, according to reports (Image credit: Alamy)

“So that’s how he’s very clever, playing that way in that position when they’re playing in their half of the pitch and with a lot of pressure.

“But Ruben is a top player too. Our job is to take the best from the players and we’re very happy with him.

“He provided a big assist for [Romain] Saiss against Brighton and only the top players can do that.

“He could see the defenders were moving, but could see where the space was and could hit the pass at the right speed and at the right angle for Saiss to score.

“These are the little things that make some players better than others.”

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ruben Neves, Football, Transfers, Premier League