Arsenal and West Ham United are now in the race to lure Porto midfielder Ruben Neves to the Premier League.

Neves has starred for the Portuguese Under-21s and had been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea in recent weeks.

Reports in Portugal suggest that Arsenal are now closely monitoring the 18-year-old, with the North Londoners sending scouts to Portugal to cast an eye.

Porto's president Pinto da Costa has distanced the club from releasing Neves, however, telling O Jogo: "Ruben has a contract until 2019 and not until 2017, as sometimes I see in writing.

"And we would like to keep him at FC Porto, as a kind of João Pinto."