A summer of change has arisen at Wolverhampton Wanderers with the old guard being removed from Molineux and fresh faces gracing the Midlands.
Nuno Santo has already departed the Old Gold and has been replaced by Bruno Lage. However, we could still yet see some of their star men depart.
On the chalkboard
One of the main concerns for Wolves in the remaining weeks of the window will be losing Ruben Neves.
The Portuguese dynamo has been linked with the exit door for some time now with Arsenal reportedly interested in securing his services.
Tentative talks have taken place over his signing but it could be a deal that sets any willing suitor back a whopping £35m.
Neves has been exceptional for Wolves since signing for a Championship record fee back in 2017.
He has been a stalwart in the middle of the park, offering swashbuckling tackling and devastating shooting from long-range.
If he does leave, though, a replacement will be needed.
The solution
According to Spanish publication, Sport, Wolves have been in negotiations to sign Aaron Ramsey from Juventus this summer.
The midfielder is now 30 years of age but enjoyed a vibrant European Championships for Wales after barely starting for the Turin club.
Ramsey left Arsenal behind in 2019 to sign a massive £400k-per-week deal with the Italian champions.
Therefore, he would be required to take a massive wage drop in order to head back to English football.
If Lage can tempt the 67-cap international to join his project at Wolves, he’d be an excellent replacement for Neves.
Dubbed as an “outstanding technician” by Martin Keown, he has the qualities to pose a threat in the final third like Neves, but also sit back and defend well.
Ramsey has proven in previous campaigns that he’s a goalscoring midfielder, finding the net on 16 occasions in 2013/14.
That’s a tally that eclipses Neves’ best season for goals by quite some margin but he’s also shown an ability to defend exceptionally well. In the 2015/16 Premier League term, the Welsh dynamo prevailed in 2.5 tackles per match.
Compare that to Neves and the similarities are clear. He won 2.4 challenges per game in the top-flight last season for instance.
Although Ramsey would have to become one of the club’s highest earners, he would be worth it to replace their Portuguese maestro.