Liverpool would be 'silly' not to at least enter the race to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves this summer, believes transfer specialist Dean Jones.
Despite Neves reportedly waiting for a move to Barcelona, according to Fabrizio Romano, Jones believes that Liverpool should throw their name in the hat for his signature.
Liverpool transfer news – Ruben Neves
It's no secret that Liverpool are after midfield reinforcements this summer following the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The Reds have also just completed the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion, and have recently been linked with moves for both Manu Kone and Khephren Thuram by Romano, as they look to rebuild in the middle of the park.
Given their need for midfielders, Neves could yet prove to be an adequate option, should Jurgen Klopp decide to target the Wolves man.
As of right now, it seems as if the Portuguese midfielder has his eyes firmly set on a potential move to the newly-crowned La Liga champions.
The Portugal international is Premier League quality, there's no doubting that, and, with a year left on his contract, this summer is one of the last chances that Wolves will have to cash in – potentially resulting in a cut-price deal.
What did Dean Jones say about Ruben Neves and Liverpool?
Speaking to Football FanCast when asked about Neves and Liverpool, Jones said:
"I think they’d be silly to not at least be in the conversation for Ruben Neves. I’m not sure if it’s their ultimate goal here, we know they’ve got their eye on other situations, too, like Gravenberch and Mount."
How much does Ruben Neves earn?
If Liverpool are to make what seems like an unlikely move for Neves this summer, then they will be hoping to avoid any disruption to their wage structure.
At Wolves currently, Neves, who has been hailed as "incredible", earns £55k per week, according to Salary Sport, which would place him in the middle of earners in the first-team at Anfield.
The wage certainly wouldn't be an issue, and, even so, it is justified by Neves' clear ability.
The midfielder found the back of the net six times from midfield last season, whilst also recording one assist to tally up seven goal involvements.
By comparison, Liverpool's highest-scoring midfielder last season was Curtis Jones, who scored just three times, whilst only assisting once in a frustrating season in the middle of the park for Jurgen Klopp's side.