Former Premier League midfielder reveals he was ‘very close’ to joining Barcelona last summer

The end of the 2022-23 season marked the end of an era for Barcelona in many ways. The departures of Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets saw two of the team’s core pillars disappear, and while Barcelona did have a strong deputy in place at left-back, the pivot position is still without a suitor.

One of the options that resounded in the offices of Catalonia at the time was Ruben Neves. The then-Wolverhampton Wanderers star was seen as a good fit, and Barcelona were seriously considering bringing him in.

However, it all fell apart quickly despite the negotiations being advanced, and the player eventually moved to Saudi Arabia.

Neves confirms the rumour

In a recent interview (h/t SPORT), the Portuguese midfielder openly disclosed that he was indeed on the verge of signing for Barcelona. Further, two other top clubs from Europe were also in the loop for his signing.

“I was close to joining three different clubs, which never happened. I got frustrated and decided to join Al Hilal. I didn’t want to mention any names, but one of the clubs was Barcelona. I was very close to joining them, same with Arsenal.”

As part of the same interview, the 26-year-old revealed that he did not rule out a return to Europe if the right moment arrived, although he was confident that the Saudi Pro League would be at par with Europe sooner, rather than later.

Neves joined Al Hilal in the summer. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Temporary fix

Oriol Romeu was Xavi’s signing in the summer who promised to take over the reins in the defensive midfield. His form unfortunately dropped steeply, and he is no longer a regular starter for the team.

The manager has thus turned to Andreas Christensen in recent games, and the Dane has done well to adapt to the foreign position. He registered a special assist in Barcelona’s recent win over Getafe, and it is safe to say that he is beginning to get accustomed to his new role.

Come June, Barcelona will be on the lookout for a new pivot, and it remains to be seen if Neves is still one of the names on their radar.