Former Wolves captain Ruben Neves could be in line to make a swift return to the Premier League in January, with Newcastle United having been linked with a shock loan move.

Neves left Wolves early in the summer to join Saudi Pro league club Al Hilal, to the surprise of many.

Most Wolves fans expected him to leave the club after six years of service.

But few, if any, thought he would go to the Saudi league.

Wolves banked £47 million from his transfer, which was ultimately a pretty good deal for the club. And Neves did suggest the finances were simply too good to turn down.

Some slammed Neves’ decision. Others, like Molineux legend Steve Bull, defended him.

And some expressed sadness about Neves making the move, believing he should be playing at a much higher standard.

But it seems Neves may be making a quicker exit from Al Hilal than anticipated, at least on a temporary basis…

Newcastle United linked with loan move for former Wolves captain Ruben Neves

The Telegraph have boldly claimed today that Newcastle could actually now attempt to ‘borrow’ Neves in January.

The Magpies face losing midfielder Sandro Tonali for the foreseeable future, with the Italian being investigated over alleged betting.

The feeling is that he’ll be banned for some time, and so Newcastle are seeking to cover his absence in the next transfer window.

It is stated that Neves could be a loan target for the club.

It is not the first time this move has been suggested in the media, with Al Hilal one of four Saudi clubs owned by PIF, which also owns Newcastle.

It would be hard to see Neves back in the Premier League not in a Wolves shirt

If Newcastle did actually sign Neves on loan, then it would likely prompt a pretty big reaction.

There will undoubtedly be a feeling that PIF owning both clubs would make it much easier for Newcastle to take the player on loan.

And it would be a hard one to take for Wolves fans seeing Neves wearing another Premier League shirt.

For many, one of the positives of Neves going to Saudi was that he would not be coming up against Wolves.

It remains to be seen if Newcastle come calling in January, and if Neves would actually give the move the green light.