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According to media outlet HITC, Chelsea FC are reportedly interested in FC Porto youngster Ruben Neves. The report claims that the Blues are targeting the midfielder in the January transfer window and see him as a potential replacement for John Obi Mikel in central midfield.
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The 18-year-old midfielder is a Porto academy product and has quickly become a fixture in the starting XI after making his debut just one year ago. He is most often deployed as a defensive midfielder, a position in which Chelsea FC have been looking for depth after missing out on Juventus’s Paul Pogba in the summer transfer window.
The position was even a concern last season when due to injuries Jose Mourinho was forced to play young center-back Kurt Zouma in a defensive midfield role. The Frenchman performed admirably as a midfield destroyer but offered next to nothing in linking up play between defense and attack. Porto’s Neves is renowned for his vision and long-range passing so he could be an excellent addition to the Chelsea midfield.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are also reportedly interested in the youngster and have sent scouts to see what he is made of. Of course if Chelsea were to sign every youngster that the Spanish giants were interested in they would have a very crowded training ground.
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Neves reportedly has a £29m release clause which is a steep figure for such a young player but it appears to be on par with the rest of the market these days. Porto are notoriously tough negotiators and they have essentially built their club’s business model on selling off prized young players for tens of millions of pounds to fund their next foray of purchases in South America and Portugal.
The Blues have had success signing defensive-minded players from the Portuguese club having signed Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, and Jose Bosingwa in the past. Carvalho and Ferreira were managed by Mourinho at Porto but the club is known for selling youngsters and watching them turn into stars across Europe.
As for the youngsters Chelsea FC already have in that central midfield role, Ruben Loftus-Cheek was excellent against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Nathaniel Chalobah and Nathan Ake have both been playing well on loan. Loftus-Cheek looks to be the most ready for a regular role in the starting XI but perhaps Jose Mourinho is envisioning a future in which the rangy Englishman is paired with the creative Portuguese player. If he does sign this January then it will likely be a signing for the future but Neves would not find many obstacles on his way to at least a squad player role with the club for the remainder of the season.
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