The upcoming Premier League vote could prevent Newcastle from signing the 26-year-old midfielder.

Newcastle and Arsenal are both interested in signing Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves.

He had previously been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, but the former Wolves midfielder ended up moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer, joining Al-Hilal in a £47 million deal.

Newcastle are looking to sign a top quality midfielder in January to fill the void left by Sandro Tonali, who has been banned for ten months for breaking betting rules.

Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City are also said to be interested in signing Neves, but Newcastle have an advantage due to the shared PIF ownership.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, if Neves is to return to the Premier League, Newcastle will be the obvious choice.

However, he goes on to mention a potential complication in a deal, which is dependent on the upcoming vote by Premier League clubs on whether to temporarily ban ‘associated party transactions.’

He stated to GiveMeSport:

“We know Arsenal has considered Neves in the past.” That’s the first thing I’d like to say. But if Neves moves to the Premier League, I believe it will be to Newcastle, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why: PIF owns Newcastle, and PIF owns Al-Hilal.

The complication is obviously whether it is feasible based on a vote from the Premier League on November 21st, when the clubs will decide whether to temporarily ban associated party transactions, which would prevent Newcastle from attempting to sign Neves in January and thus give a club like Arsenal a clearer path if they chose to proceed. But there is still nothing with Arsenal and Neves active.”

Neves joined Wolves in 2017 from FC Porto, where he spent six years, scoring 30 goals and assisting 13 in 253 appearances.

The Portuguese international was candid about his decision to join the Saudi league despite being in his prime years. He admitted that he made the decision to relocate in order to provide the best possible life for his wife and children.

Despite the financial benefits, he is finding it difficult to adjust to life in the Middle East and wishes to return to the Premier League.