ARSENAL have been handed a major boost as they try to hijack Newcastle’s move for Ruben Neves, according to reports.
The Gunners are in the market for a central midfielder in January with Thomas Partey expected to be out into next year due to a thigh injury.
Meanwhile, Newcastle are also on the lookout for someone in the same position after Sandro Tonali was slapped with a ten-month ban for betting breaches.
The Toon are keen on Neves and have been hoping to snap up the Al-Hilal star.
A loan move has been in the works with the signing made straightforward due to the PIF Group owning both Newcastle and the Saudi Arabian club.
But the deal now looks off with the Premier League ready to implement a rule change to stop such transfer being allowed.
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The 20 clubs are set to vote in favour of preventing teams loaning players from clubs that have the same owners as them next week.
This change in regulations improves Arsenal’s chances of signing Neves this winter.
talkSPORT claim Gunners chief Edu is a huge fan of the 26-year-old.
The Portuguese international has plenty of Premier League experience to his name after spending six years at Wolves.
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He played 253 times for the club, scored 30 goals and captained the side regularly before his £47million move to Al-Hilal back in the summer.
On Newcastle’s interest in Neves, manager Eddie Howe said: “He was a player we liked when at Wolves.
“We are open to signing players from anywhere if they’re good enough and make us better.”
When asked if they would fight any rule change, Howe added: “You can make that assumption.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
