'Special' Wolves players could go – Bruno Lage

The Wolves boss admits ‘some players will go this summer’ with rumours swirling about the future of star midfielder Ruben Neves.

Wolves have been in talks with Neves over a new deal, as his current contract expires in two years, but the 25-year-old has been linked with a number of Europe’s top clubs, including Barcelona.

And Lage admits he is not surprised to see interest in Neves.

Lage said: “If I was at (another) top club I would look for these kinds of players – they are what all the clubs want so it is no surprise to me.

“With what Ruben did this season you can see how important he is for our team. He puts us on a different level so it is no surprise that other clubs are moving for this.”

He added: “Some players will go this summer, for sure. We can feel it.

“We don’t have news about talks between the club and players. We need to replace players.

“We have gaps we need to fill. If someone special goes, we need to replace them too. It’s going to be a busy period.”

The head coach is a big admirer of Neves and is keen to keep hold of him, as he insists the club will try to persuade him to stay.

“When I arrived here last year we were worried about Ruben (leaving), and he stayed at the club, so I really don’t know,” added Lage.

“Everything can change in one minute and anything can happen until the end of the market, so we have a long time in front of us to understand what will happen.

“If he stays, I believe he will be the same professional, and he will have the same mindset to do another great season with Wolves.”