United have held talks with fabulous maestro over a January return to the PL, but one stumbling block remains – report

Manchester United are unlikely to have too much to spend in January to fix their midfield woes. Having spent over £200 million in the summer to fix crucial gaps up top and in goal, INEOS ultimately ran out of cash despite Ruben Amorim demanding the co-owners to sign one midfielder. Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton, and Elliot Anderson are among the top targets, but considering their valuation, the Red Devils are unlikely to sign any of them during the winter window. Which is why the Red Devils are keeping an eye on market opportunities, with Joao Gomes, Conor Gallagher, and Ruben Neves among the backup options. Talks with Ruben Neves held Wolves are unlikely to sell their talisman in the middle of the season, while the Atletico Madrid ace is not contemplating returning to England at this stage. That leaves the Portugal international, whose contract with Al-Hilal ends in 2026 and hence, he will be available on a cut-price fee. As revealed by CaughtOffside, the Saudi Pro League side are willing to move the 28-year-old on for just €20 million, and contacts have taken place with the likes of United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle. The only problem is the ex-Wolves ace currently earns £410,000 a week with Al-Hilal, and none of the English sides can afford such an extensive outlay. Turkish adventure beckons? As things stand, Turkish giants Galatasaray and Fenerbahce could pull ahead in the race as they have no qualms over paying such exorbitant wages. “Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves is keen on a return to the Premier League amid transfer interest from Manchester United, Newcastle, and Tottenham. “Neves is now nearing the end of his contract with Al Hilal and could be on the move for just €20m. That will surely be appealing to a lot of top clubs, and there have already been some “contacts” with Premier League sides, according to sources. High wage demands makes a move unlikely “However, one key issue with Neves is that he currently earns as much as £410,000 a week with Al Hilal, and this is going to be too expensive for most top European clubs. “As things stand, a move to Turkey perhaps looks the most likely for the 28-year-old, with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce in the mix for his signature.” Ruben Neves in Premier League-proven and offers the exact skillsets Amorim needs at the moment — ability to shield the backline and the quality to break the lines with his incisive passing. Not to mention his wicked long shots and set-pieces. But for any transfer to materialise, the former Porto ace must reduce his wage demands. Whether he will agree to remains to be seen. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25