Liam Keen of The Express & Star has given his verdict on the feeling around Ruben Neves' future at Wolves.

The Lowdown: Contract ending soon

Neves' contract with Julen Lopetegui's side runs out in the summer of 2024, which gives the club one or two transfer windows to sell him for a fee or get him to agree on a new deal to avoid letting him go for nothing.

The midfielder is a wanted man, with Liverpool reportedly among his admirers, while the Portugal ace has previously commented apparent interest from La Liga giants Barcelona, with Neves admitting it is a privilege to be linked to such a prestigious side.

The Latest: Keen's Neves verdict

Speaking on the E&S Wolves Podcast, Keen claimed that it's quite possible that Neves will leave Molineux this summer for a bigger club.

Asked whether the arrival of Lopetegui and the level of subsequent spending at Wolves could convince him to prolong his stay at the club, Keen stated: "It absolutely could, but the reality is that he is more likely than not to leave the club, and that's purely because he was meant to go last summer, it didn't fall into place.

"He's got one year left on his deal - well, by this summer he will do.

"There's always been a feeling that he will move on to achieve the career that he probably deserves to have at some point."

The Verdict: Exit likely

We also believe that it's likely Neves will be saying farewell to the Wolves faithful this summer.

It looked likely he was going to leave in the summer of 2022, as the midfielder got teary-eyed on their final game of the season, which suggested his time at Molineux was coming to a close.

Lopetegui is certainly a manager with a great pedigree and seems to be steadying the ship at Wolves based on their recent league form, but we don't think it will be enough to keep Neves.

It's clear there's plenty of interest from clubs who are in much more attractive positions than the Old Gold, so it would be understandable if Neves wanted to challenge himself and make the next step up.

Our view is that Neves is certainly a beloved figure at Molineux and his potential exit could be a bitter pill to swallow, but it's something that looks very likely to happen at the end of the season given the contrasting trajectories that the club and player are on.