Barcelona may reportedly be in a position to press forward with an effort to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves in January.
Throughout the summer transfer window, Barcelona were among a number of clubs that were heavily linked with the Portugal international, who had been expected to depart Molineux.
Neves has acknowledged himself that things appeared to be in place to take on a new challenge, but the legendary Wolves man started 2022-23 in the West Midlands.
However, despite talk of Wolves attempting to tie the 25-year-old down to a new contract, there has been little progression on that front and none is expected at the present time.
Wolves currently sit in the Premier League relegation zone, and the club's owners will not be able to tempt Neves into extending his deal while European qualification is not a possibility.
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Neves has also recently admitted that he is open to moving to the La Liga side, telling Canal 11: "Who wouldn't want to try Barcelona? I think it's a common question for all players It's one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Of course, it's always a privilege for me to be associated with clubs of this calibre. I'm going to do my job here [at Wolves] and I'm sure I have people working with me.
According to Sport, Barcelona could be ready to take full advantage in January as they bid to bring in another central midfielder.
Although several names have been linked with a switch to Camp Nou in recent weeks, the report suggests super-agent Jorge Mendes could prove to be instrumental in arranging a deal between the two clubs.
The Spanish outlet claims that a salary agreement for Neves is already in place between Barcelona and Mendes, with the Catalan giants hoping to press on with a loan deal with an obligation to buy in January if Barcelona can facilitate an exit for one of their current squad members.
Furthermore, it is alleged that Neves would cost less than the €50m (£43.3m) which was mentioned in the summer with just over 18 months now remaining on his contract.
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Wolves find themselves in a difficult position going forward with the first team currently without a head coach after the sacking of Bruno Lage and failed pursuits of Julen Lopetegui and Michael Beale.
As it stands, owners Fosun International do not intend to appoint a permanent replacement for Lage until 2023 after announcing that Steve Davis will keep the reins for the foreseeable future.
Fosun are already coming under fire from the club's supporters, and the exit of their captain and key player will only further dampen the mood in the stands.
Neves has scored two of Wolves' five goals in the Premier League this campaign, those strikes against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest directly leading to four points.
Nevertheless, Wolves currently sit in 19th position in the standings, only sitting above bottom-placed Forest on goal difference.
Darren Plant
