Arsenal are not currently in negotiations for the transfer of Ruben Neves ahead of the January window, according to recent reports. The Gunners emerged as a potential destination for the Al-Hilal midfielder just a few months after he departed Wolves with Newcastle also named as an interested club.

The 26-year-old has made 12 Saudi Pro League appearances this season with Al-Hilal unbeaten and four points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr at the summit. Neves appears to be enjoying his football out in the Middle East, but given his European pedigree, that has not stopped Premier League return links from coming to light.

Newcastle, amid Sandro Tonali's ban for betting breaches and the injury crisis facing Eddie Howe, first emerged as an interested party following his £47million exit from Molineux. The links caused quite a stir online as the Magpies are owned by the Saudi consortium, suggesting insider moves were a possibility, although the Premier League are set to vote on banning teams owned by the same owners from loaning players between clubs.

With that said, Arsenal could be the beneficiaries of the decision as they search to find a Thomas Partey replacement with Arteta and Edu's January priority switching. A new attacker was top of the list initially for Arsenal with Ivan Toney as the obvious name linked, however, the latest injury setback for Partey has seen the north Londoners switch their focus onto signing a midfielder with Neves alongside Martin Zubimendi, who football.london understands Arsenal have been tracking, and Gabriel Moscardo.

Arteta is a big admirer of the Portugal international having tried to sign him in 2021 however he ended up remaining at Wolves. However, amid these fresh links, Arteta and Edu can complete a two-year transfer mission by bringing Neves to Emirates Stadium, however, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, that is not currently on the cards.

Speaking via his CaughtOffside substack, the Italian journalist said: “We’re seeing some surprise links with a loan move for Ruben Neves at Al Hilal. He’s mainly been linked with Newcastle, who appreciate the player, but there is also historical interest from Mikel Arteta - he has always liked Neves, but there are no negotiations at the moment.”

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Neves is a talented midfielder in his own right but Arsenal have been shown a surprisingly different position he can play in. For Portugal, in their win against Liechtenstein, Neves was deployed in the middle of a back three with Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota and Bruno Fernandez as recognised attackers all starting.