Wolves captain Neves joins Saudi Arabia exodus on move to Al-Hilal for $59.7 million

WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) — Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Ruben Neves has become the latest high-profile player to move to Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Hilal for a transfer fee of 47 million pounds ($59.7 million).

The fee is a record for English Premier League team Wolves.

The 26-year-old Portugal midfielder follows in the footsteps of Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, who completed free transfers to Al-Ittihad this month. Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr in December.

Neves, who scored 30 goals in 253 appearances during six seasons with Wolves, wiped away tears in an emotional video posted on the club’s Twitter account, saying he made “thousands of memories which will last forever.”

Sporting director Matt Hobbs told the club website: “Ruben is the embodiment of everything you look for when trying to bring players into a football club: A leader, a humble man and an extremely talented footballer who took Wolves to a different level.

“He was part of a great era for this club and will go down as one of our best ever players. We are grateful for everything he has done for Wolves and wish him and his family the very best for the future.”

Neves, who had one year remaining on his contract, was part of the Wolves team which won the Championship second-tier title in 2018 following his move from Porto.

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