Revealed: Ruben Neves' plan to join Newcastle United has 'blown up in his face' - sources
Ruben Neves' shock summer transfer to Saudi Arabia has backfired with his potential move to Newcastle United dramatically collapsing, sources have told Football Insider.
The Portuguese midfielder, 26, is believed to have only made the £47million move to Al Hilal at the peak of his career on the basis that he would move on from the Middle East quite quickly.
Football Insider first revealed Newcastle United's interest in him in July, and that has only intensified following Sandro Tonali's 10-month ban for betting rule breaches.
But Premier League clubs could now vote to ban clubs from loaning players from any other team that they have an association with.
That would kill Newcastle's hopes of landing Neves in January as both Al-Hilal and the Magpies are owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Sources have told Football Insider that the midfielder's hopes of a quick move to Newcastle have now "blown up in his face".
Premier League clubs will vote on a temporary ban on loan signings between linked clubs on 21 November, with 14 of the 20 clubs needing to agree for restrictions to be put in place.
Neves has made 17 appearances across all competitions for Al-Hilal this season, notching two goals and one assist.
He was missing from the Pro League club's latest meeting, a 2-0 win over Al-Taawoun on Saturday (11 November).
The 26-year-old's move to Saudi Arabia has not impacted his Portugal career and he is part of the squad for this month's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Iceland.
Neves made 177 appearances in the Premier League for Wolves, notching 21 goals and nine assists.
Football Insider revealed on Tuesday (14 November) that Newcastle are eyeing three additions in the January transfer window as their injury crisis worsens.
A stand-in for Tonali is believed to be the priority, while signings at centre-back and in attack are also wanted.