Liverpool ahead of Barcelona in race for Premier League star

Liverpool face a trip to The Etihad to face reigning Premier League champions Manchester City when they return to action at the start of April. 

The Reds have been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions and the Champions League already this season, leaving their pursuit of fourth place in the league table as their sole focus.

Following what has already been a disappointing season, Jurgen Klopp will likely look to bolster his squad this summer.

Several players, including Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, are expected to depart Anfield when their current contracts expire at the end of the season.

If they do, Liverpool will be on the hunt for at least one new central midfielder, and it appears that they are leading Spanish giants Barcelona in the race to land one of their targets.

According to Football Insider, The Reds are ahead of their Spanish counterparts in the race to sign Wolves’ Ruben Neves.

Neves is attracting interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs

The Portugal international has enjoyed a fine individual campaign so far and is expected to be the subject of interest from a number of clubs this summer.

It is claimed that the midfielder will push for a move away from Molineux this summer regardless of whether or not the club stay in the top flight.

He is said to be eyeing a new challenge and the prospect of playing in the Champions League with Liverpool will undoubtedly appeal, if The Reds qualify.

Barcelona are said to have been admirers of the 26-year-old for a while now, but the Spanish side find themselves in financial difficulty and it remains unclear whether or not they could afford a move for the player.

Neves joined Wolves from Porto back in 2017, swapping the Champions League for the Championship at the time.

He has since made more than 240 appearances for his current club across all competitions, scoring 29 goals and providing 12 assists.