Ruben Neves is to turn down an approach from Arsenal in favour of a Barcelona move, which will be a blow to Mikel Arteta, Terry Flewers has claimed.
What's the latest on Ruben Neves?
The Wolves captain is entering the final year of his contract at Molineux and looks set to depart the club after seven years.
There is interest from a number of top clubs including Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal, and a recent report has claimed that the 26-year-old is in favour of a move to the Camp Nou.
Speaking on The Football Terrace, Flewers expressed his surprise that Neves would choose to move to Barcelona for a squad place, compared to potentially starting at Arsenal.
"An interesting report today claimed that Ruben Neves has agreed a four-year contract with Barcelona as he rejects Arsenal and Manchester United transfer, but Wolves won't get a penny. That is a story that has been pushed around today [Wednesday]," he stated.
"There's another headline that's come out of Spain that states that Ruben Neves has turned down a deal from Arsenal as he's waiting for Barca to make a formal bid for him."
"It does appear that Ruben Neves is going to turn down Arsenal, and is going to turn down Man United because he wants to go to Barcelona.
"He's a very, very good player and I think the likes of Man United, I think the likes of Arsenal, should have gone and tried to sign this guy two seasons ago, three seasons ago.
"He's now moving 26 years of age [will] be 27 next year, he needs that big money move now, get it now or it's never going to happen."
Should Arsenal move for Neves?
Given that Neves is seemingly dreaming of a Barcelona move, it may be unlikely that the midfielder could be convinced to join Arsenal.
Arteta appears to have his sights set on other targets, with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo strongly linked with big-money moves to the Emirates, and should both arrive, there would be no room for Neves.
With Granit Xhaka expected to join Bayer Leverkusen, Neves could have filled the leadership void, given that he is an experienced Premier League captain, but Rice is seemingly the preferred candidate for the role.
Neves has been described as "incredible," and he could add a long-range goal threat from midfield, having scored six times this season, but a deal now looks unlikely to materialise.