Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta "has always liked" former Premier League playmaker, Fabrizio Romano confirms

Could he be on his way to Arsenal?

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has always been a fan of former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, admits Fabrizio Romano as the Portuguese star is linked with a move back to the Premier League this January.

Neves left Wolves to join Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal in the summer, but we could perhaps see him make a quick return to English football as both Arsenal and Newcastle United have been linked as potential suitors for him in the last few days.

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It was a bit of a surprise when Neves left for Saudi when many expected that he could be the kind of player who’d make the step up to one of Europe’s elite, but it didn’t work out that way, despite some apparent long-standing interest from Arteta at Arsenal.

Romano is still not that convinced that we’ll see Neves heading to the Emirates Stadium, but he did admit that the links could be coming about due to the fact that Arteta has long been an admirer of the 26-year-old.

Writing in his Daily Briefing column today, Romano said: “Elsewhere with Arsenal, 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.”