Newcastle may have to see off interest from Arsenal if they want to land Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves, according to Sport.

The Catalan publication reports that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is keen on recruiting the Portuguese international as he seeks to “replace” Thomas Partey.

Neves only joined Al-Hilal from Wolves in the summer for €55m (£47m) but there has already been speculation that he could return to the Premier League on loan.

Sport claim that the 26-year-old has “a proposal” from the Magpies, although that offer is dependent on whether the Premier League will sanction the move.

Newcastle could be banned from recruiting players based in Saudi Arabia

It is believed that the Premier League are pondering a vote on banning loans between clubs under the same ownership.

With the Magpies owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, it would effectively stop them signing players on a temporary basis from teams in the Middle Eastern country. It remains to be seen whether this proposal will be approved, with 14 clubs needed for the motion to be passed.

What other midfielders could Newcastle target?

If Eddie Howe’s team cannot recruit Neves, they would still need to find an alternative. Sandro Tonali’s 10-month ban has left them short of numbers in the middle of the park so a replacement is required.

Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips is known to be on the club’s shortlist of options, but it remains to be seen whether the England international will be allowed to move on loan in January. Corinthians’ Gabriel Moscardo has also been mentioned as a target, although the young Brazilian would likely cost a sizeable transfer fee that the Magpies may not be able to pay due to FFP rules.

You can watch the documentary – Newcastle United: The Road Back To Europe on Shots! TV here