NEV-ER CHEAP
Man Utd warned Wolves won’t sell Ruben Neves for cheap this summer as Bruno Lage sets asking price
BRUNO LAGE has warned Manchester United they won't sign Ruben Neves on the cheap this summer.
The Red Devils might have to DOUBLE Wolves' previous transfer record of £41million, which Liverpool paid for Diogo Jota in September 2020, to get their man.
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SunSport exclusively revealed potential new United boss Erik ten Hag plans to make signing the 25-year-old playmaker a priority this summer if he ends up in the Old Trafford hotseat.
But Lage believes Wolves can get more out of the Portugal star than United and wants to build his team around the much-admired midfielder, who still has more than two years remaining on his contract.
Ahead of the trip to Newcastle, Lage was playing hardball as he revealed: "Maybe both stories are real because I don't know if Manchester United or other teams want to sign him.
"What I do know is we have a special player who is having a very good season because the way we play has resulted in a better Ruben. He has improved a lot.
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"He takes our team to a different level and when you have that kind of player the best policy is to increase his salary and give him more years on his contract.
"We have a top player in that position who can defend and he can attack.
"He is a top professional and a great man so the big teams are there for him and they can afford £100m for a player.
"I prefer to keep him as long as I can but I preferred to keep Joao Felix at Benfica and then Atletico Madrid came in with £100m and suddenly he goes!
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"These days which clubs can really turn down an offer of £80m, £90m or £100m?
"Maybe there are five or six clubs in the world and you'll notice I am increasing the price all the time!"
Neves will miss tonight's trip to Newcastle after suffering knee ligament damage against Leeds.
But Lage revealed he is on course to make a shock comeback before the end of the season.
The Wolves boss said: "It's not as serious as we first feared. With a little more time to recover he will be able to play some games for us before the end of the season."
Only Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have a better away record than Wolves who have plundered 26 points from 15 games on the road ahead of their visit to St James's Park.
Lage said: "We like to keep the ball and after 15 or 20 minutes we can tell by the reaction of the home supporters if our plan is working.
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"When pressure builds from them and emotions run high people make mistakes - the same thing happens to us at home sometimes.
"When we have three points with us the journey home to Wolverhampton is always better."
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