Ruben Neves leaves Wolves for a club-record £47m to join Al-Hilal

Ruben Neves has left Wolves for a club-record fee of £47m to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. 

Neves arrived at Molineux in 2017 and proved an instant hit with the home faithful as the club returned to the Premier League as champions under Nuno Espirito Santo. 

Despite the step up in quality to the top flight, Neves continued to look completely at home, and capped off six years in the Black Country by being named the West Midlanders' Player of the Season after taking over as captain. 

Neves' departure to the Middle East comes after speculation that Barcelona might put in a bid for the 26-year-old, but the Spanish giants' financial situation prevented that transfer from getting off the ground. 

In an open letter to the fans, Neves, who made 253 Wolves appearances and scored 30 times, wrote: "It really feels like home here and we will never, ever forget you.

"Six years is a long way. A long time. My kids grew up in Wolverhampton and they were so happy here.

"Me and my lovely wife will never forget the time we had here as a family, and I hope we can keep this big connection.

"I leave as a player, but I will always be a wolf. No matter what. Thank you for everything, and I will see you in the South Bank – one day."

Wolves' much-publicised Financial Fair Play concerns make the offloading of Neves a painful but necessary move, with the fee he commanded eclipsing that for Diogo Jota, who joined Liverpool for £41m in 2020.

Following the completion of the Neves transfer, Matt Hobbs, Wolves' sporting director, said: "Everyone at Wolves would like to thank Ruben for all he has done for the club throughout his six years here.

"Not only for his effort and commitment as a player, but also as a person off the pitch.

"Ruben is the embodiment of everything you look for when trying to bring players into a football club; a leader, a humble man and an extremely talented footballer who took Wolves to a different level.

"He was part of a great era for this club and will go down as one of our best-ever players.

"We are grateful for everything he has done for Wolves and wish him and his family the very best for the future."

Julen Lopetegui's men kick off their Premier League season away at Manchester United on Monday 14 August at 8pm.

To find out all the upcoming matches in England's top flight, head to: Premier League Fixtures & Results 2023/24 | Live Scores | BT Sport