CONFIRMED: Wolves boss Bruno Lage sends transfer message to Man Utd over Ruben Neves

Wolves boss Bruno Lage sends transfer message to Man Utd over Ruben Neves Wolves boss Bruno Lage insists the club have no intention of selling Manchester United target Ruben Neves – unless they receive an astronomical offer for the midfielder. The Red Devils are keen to bolster their midfield, either in January or the summer, and are rumoured to be weighing up a £35million offer for the Portugal international, who shone at Old Trafford last week as Wolves secured a 1-0 victory. But Lage has suggested £35m would be nowhere near the amount required to prise Neves away from Wolves, with the club keen to keep their most important players and continue to improve the squad. Responding to the rumours surrounding Neves, Lage said: ‘When you want to do the next step and every time you are selling your best players, then the next step can never happen. ‘We are here with the project and our ideas – that’s everyone: the chairman, sporting director and the manager. ‘The main point is to continue with the same players, try to improve them and go to the next level. ‘But you know this model of football. If one big transfer appears – I can compare with when I was at Benfica and a team paid €120million (£100m) for one player (Joao Felix) – you cannot say no. ‘Or you can say no but you have to balance it. Do you receive the money and use it to improve the team, or do you continue with the same players?’ Neves has enjoyed several excellent campaigns with Wolves in the Premier League but has taken his game to a new level this season under Lage, with the 45-year-old coach full of praise for his compatriot. He continued: ‘He’s very important. He’s a top player. The challenge now is to continue. He did very well against Chelsea and Man United, even though they were different games and there were different spaces to play. ‘I am happy because he is doing the things I want from him. He’s a good player to help the team get to the next level. Six weeks ago we spoke to him and I challenged him to be better every day. ‘I challenged him to grow in a defensive way because he needed to understand he’s a defensive midfielder, so he needs to do both sides of football and work for the team. ‘And when we have the ball, he needs to understand the moment, because it’s the game with the ball that gives us the dimension we deserve. Now he’s doing that. Every day he has that mentality to be better.’