Liverpool Transfer News: Ruben Neves Sale Ruled Out, Latest Reds Rumours

Liverpool have been dealt a blow in their reported pursuit of Porto’s midfield starlet Ruben Neves, with the club’s president revealing he is not for sale.

Neves has been impressive for the Portuguese giants as of late, showcasing a quality and composure that surpasses his tender years. So perhaps it’s little surprise Porto are intent on keeping hold of the 18-year-old despite the player being linked with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Juventus, per Simon Jones of the MailOnline.

Indeed, Pinto da Costa, the president of Porto, has big plans for the youngster after his scintillating start to life at the club, per Jones:

"

Ruben has a contract until 2019 and not until 2017, as sometimes I see in reports. And we would like to keep him at FC Porto, as a kind of Joao Pinto. That is, he was a symbol and legend of the progress of the club for several generations.

I never want him to leave Porto. Since I want him to stay for a long time he can be Porto's greatest captain.

"

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Neves is a player who can seemingly handle these lofty expectations, as everything about his game suggests a mature head on young shoulders. The manner in which he commands possession, distributes the ball with authority and barks instructions at senior players has already seen manager Julen Lopetegui name him captain.

As we can see here courtesy of Portuguese football expert Jan Hagen, Neves has made remarkable strides in the nascent stages of his career:

He’s a player who would tick all the boxes for the Reds, too. At the moment, manager Jurgen Klopp only has one orthodox holding-midfield player to call upon in Lucas Leiva, and for all the Brazilian’s qualities, he’s not a steady distributor at the base of the team. Neves most definitely is and could potentially be for many years to come.

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Noorudean Choudry of Joe.co.uk thinks addressing this issue will be one of the German’s primary objectives:

Still, despite being so composed, it’d be very early for Neves to make what would be a big-money move. At the moment, he’s excelling at Porto, and operating at the heart of this team is expediting his astonishing development. There would surely be concerns on his part that a move away from Porto could disrupt that process.

Nuri Sahin Eyed by Klopp

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According to Calciomercato (h/t Marc Williams of the Daily Star), Klopp is looking at bringing Nuri Sahin back to Liverpool in January in an attempt to bolster his midfield options.

The Turkey international was loaned to the Reds during the 2012-13 season and endured a difficult time of things under former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. But during two spells at Borussia Dortmund under Klopp, Sahin was an assured and inventive playmaker at the base of the team’s midfield.

Here’s a look at the kind of qualities the 27-year-old would potentially add should he return to Liverpool:

At his best, Sahin can knit things together wonderfully. Being left-footed, he offers the team a natural balance, not to mention tenacity off the ball and incisiveness when playing forward passes.

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However, he’s currently sidelined with a long-term knee injury, having not made an appearance for BVB since February. So not only would it be a gamble on Liverpool’s part bringing him in, especially given how Sahin struggled with Premier League football previously, but from the player’s point of view, some time to rehabilitate at the Westfalenstadion will be essential.