Barcelona boss Xavi is reportedly unconvinced that he should add Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves to his squad.
Since his arrival in the Camp Nou dugout, Xavi has been provided with the freedom to make widespread changes, despite the club's ongoing financial issues.
Throughout that time, the Catalan giants have been heavily linked with a move for Neves, aware that the long-serving Wolves midfielder is open to a fresh challenge at a top European club.
Up until now, the relevant parties have either been unable to negotiate a deal or Barcelona have looked elsewhere, the La Liga side instead signing Franck Kessie on a free transfer earlier this year.
However, despite president Joan Laporta insisting that Barcelona do not intend to sign players during the January transfer window, Neves continues to be linked with a mid-season switch.
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Nevertheless, according to Sport, Xavi is not expected to push club officials to facilitate the arrival of the Portugal international over the coming weeks.
The report claims that Xavi sees no reason to sign another player of similar profile to Sergio Busquets, who has held down a regular spot in the side during 2022-23.
Such has been Busquet's form that Kessie has made just five starts and has been linked with a move elsewhere, something which would theoretically make room for Neves.
However, it is suggested at this stage that super-agent Jorge Mendes is pushing for Neves to leave Molineux for Spain more so than Xavi.
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The Barcelona boss allegedly holds more interest in acquiring the services of a different profile of midfielder with Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi and Chelsea's N'Golo Kante said to be higher on his shortlist.
If Barcelona do pursue a move for Neves, the report says that they would want to secure a deal for less than €50m (£43m), terms which are unlikely to be accepted by Wolves.
From the perspective of the Premier League side, they currently sit bottom of the standings and have appointed a new head coach in Julen Lopetegui who handed Neves his professional debut during their time together at Porto.
Neves has just under 19 months remaining on his contract and Wolves seem likely to retain the 25-year-old's services until the end of the season, rather than cash in during January for a marginally higher fee than they would recoup in the summer.
Darren Plant
