Watch out, Newcastle! Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wants Gunners to hijack the Magpies' move for Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves

SPORT reports that Arsenal manager Arteta is keen on signing Neves from Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal in January and has requested the board to go all out for the player.

The Gunners are eyeing a replacement for midfielder Thomas Partey who is likely to depart the club in the next window and Arteta thinks that the Portuguese is the perfect alternative. They will though have to face competition from Newcastle United who see Neves as a replacement for Sandro Tonali,who is serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules.

Several European giants like Barcelona and Arsenal were interested in signing the Portuguese international in the summer transfer window but it was Al-Hilal who won the battle by paying a sum of €55m, which according to the other competitors seemed like a lot of money for a player who was heading into the final year of his contract with Wolves.

Neves eventually committed his future to the Saudi Arabian club by signing on a three-year-long deal.

The 26-year-old has become a key member of Jorge Jesus' squad since joining them in the summer. He has appeared in 17 matches for the team in all competitions and has scored two goals and provided an assist.

After losing to Newcastle United on November 4, Arteta's side came back strongly by beating Burnley in their last Premier League encounter. They will now aim to extend their winning run on Saturday when they take on Brentford.