Report: Arteta has identified the ideal Xhaka replacement for Arsenal, Ten Hag wants him too

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta sees Ruben Neves as the ideal replacement for Granit Xhaka, according to football.london.

However, the Gunners will likely face strong competition for the Wolves star.

According to The Sun, Neves is Erik ten Hag’s priority target if he becomes the next Manchester United manager.

The Gunners have been linked with the Wolves midfielder for at least a year now.

Back in June 2021, The Times reported that Arsenal had begun talks to bring Neves to the Emirates Stadium.

However, the north Londoners were reportedly unwilling to pay £35m for the player.

Since then, the Gunners and the Portugal international have featured regularly on the rumour mill.

However, Arsenal’s need to bring in new midfielders is arguably greater than ever.

Roma are reportedly still eyeing Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny’s contract expires soon, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles is surplus to requirements.

Neves would be a great shout for Arsenal, given his talent, considerable Premier League experience, and young age.

But the former Porto ace will be a man in demand.

As well as the Gunners and the Red Devils, Tottenham and Barcelona are in the race too, according to Sky Sports.

“Weren’t prepared”

On Thursday, football.london published an article detailing 10 transfers Arteta could potentially make this summer.

On Neves, Chris Wheatley wrote: “The Gunners tried to sign Neves last summer but weren’t prepared to match Wolves’ £35m valuation of the player.

“Arteta believes Neves’ passing ability makes him the ideal replacement for Granit Xhaka, whose future remains uncertain, despite signing a new contract last summer.”

Neves has already clocked up 207 appearances in old gold, including 137 in the English top flight.

The 25-year-old also has 93 Porto outings and 26 caps to his name.

However, Arsenal will probably have to pay a lot more for Neves this summer.

Sky Sports recently claimed Wolves now value the Portugal international at between £50m and £60m.

Other players Arsenal are reportedly eyeing include Jonathan David, Darwin Nunez, Alexander Isak and Youri Tielemans.

The football.london report also suggests Arteta has cooled his interest in Marcus Rashford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.