Wolverhampton's Ruben Neves on the verge of £47m transfer to Saudi Arabia

Ruben Neves was in talks with Barcelona. Credit: Getty Images/Marc Atkins

Wolves captain Ruben Neves is on the verge of completing a stunning £47m move to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.

Neves will be the latest addition to the league at great expense, joining a stellar roster of names that includes Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema after the Wolves accepted a huge offer.

Barcelona targeted the Portugal international this summer, but after As talks stalled, Neves' agent Jorge Mendes moved to close the deal last week.

It means that Neves will fly to the Middle East in the next few days. to end his six-year spell at Molineux.

Julen Lopetegui, Wolverhampton head coach, has fully sanctioned the move and the deal is seen as a significant coup for the club amid their financial concerns. The Wolves spent nearly £200m last season and now need to raise funds to avoid future FFP violations.

The club are under pressure to sell before they can buy this summer as they struggle to reduce their base value and Neves' departure will be seen as a great deal for the player with only 12 months left on his contract.< /p>Wolverhampton insist on keeping Lopetegui committed

Sporting director Matt Hobbs insists Lopetegui is fully committed to Wolverhampton after the manager decided to stay despite concerns over the club's transfer strategy.

Hobbs said: “I never doubted that he would stay with Wolves, but we have to admit that the project is different from what he had in mind. We had to give him time to figure that out and figure out how to build a team to be competitive in the Premier League.

“He's dedicated, he loves the region and the club. You can see the closeness he has developed with the fans and I have never seen a situation where he was not our manager. We are working on our summer strategy and while it may be a little different from what we thought half a year ago, this is football and we have to respond to it.”

A signature from Porto for £15m in 2017. Neves has proven to be a key player at the Black Country club, helping them move from Championship to European travel.

Meanwhile, Wolves have also ditched £20. millionth offer from Brentford for Ireland international Nathan Collins.

Daniel Podense, José Sa and Ryan Ait-Nouri will also be free if the Wolves find a buyer.