Erik ten Hag has told Manchester United to beat Barcelona and Arsenal to a deal for Wolves star Ruben Neves, according to reports.
Ten Hag has been in the Old Trafford hot-seat for less than a week but has identified a number of targets ahead of the summer’s transfer window.
The Dutchman, who won the Eredivisie with Ajax last campaign, wants to sign a new striker, midfielder and central defender and has identified Neves as a key target.
Portugal international Neves has played more than 200 games for Wolves and been one of the key players at Molineux since his £16m transfer from Porto in 2017.
Manchester United first expressed interest in signing Neves while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still in charge and considered a move for the 25-year-old in January.
According to the Sun, Ten Hag has told United to revive their interest, with the Premier League club now set to make a final push to secure a deal.
Wolves valued Neves at around £40million at the start of the year but now want close to £50m for the Portuguese midfielder.
His contract at the Midlands team runs until 2024 but Neves has shown a reluctance to sign a new contract as he look to secure a big move.
Barcelona are also in the running to sign Neves and can offer him Champions League football unlike the Red devils, while Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is believed to be a fan and keen to bring him to the Emirates.
Speaking after Wolves’ last game of the season, Neves suggested he would interested in leaving the club this summer.
He said: ‘The only thing I can tell you at the moment is that everyone knows what football is about, what our lives are about. Our career is really short and we need to take the opportunities we have.
‘All of us have dreams and we need to live those dreams in a small space of time. Let’s see what happens, I cannot say too much about it.’
