Arsenal want to sign Pedro Neto from Wolves
Arsenal have identified Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Pedro Neto as their priority target to bolster their attack before the transfer deadline, The Athletic’s David Ornstein claims.
The north London giants have made a tremendous beginning to the Premier League season with three straight victories. It is their best-ever beginning since the 2004/05 campaign.
Despite this, manager Mikel Arteta recently said that the club are still short in some departments, and they may look to bring in reinforcements before the transfer windows closes.
A right winger has been considered as a potential target for the Gunners, and Ornstein now reveals that talks have been ongoing between Arsenal and super-agent Jorge Mendes over Neto.
Mendes has held separate discussions with Arsenal and Wolves regarding the player. The Portuguese is not only the representative of Neto, but has brought several players to Wolves.
Arsenal’s move for Neto currently depends on Nicolas Pepe leaving on loan. Still, they may only consider the transfer if Wolves are willing to negotiate a reasonable fee for the 22-year-old.
Wolves considered Neto indispensable earlier in the transfer window, but the arrivals of Matheus Nunes and Goncalo Guedes could pave the way for his departure in the coming days.
Arsenal may need to pay premium fee for Neto’s services
Arsenal were determined to land Raphinha from Leeds United earlier this summer, but it was clear that the Brazilian always wanted to join Barcelona. He also snubbed a move to Chelsea.
The Gunners have since been linked with Moussa Diaby and Yeremy Pino, but Neto is definitely the better fit than the duo, given he has already earned valuable Premier League experience.
The Portuguese had his stand-out season for Wolves in 2020/21 with five goals and six assists from 31 league games, but his campaign ended on a sour note after he picked up a serious knee injury.
Neto has yet to find the same level of consistency, but the Gunners appear to have the faith in the player to hit those heights and become even better, considering he is now fully injury fee.
The Gunners should not have concerns in agreeing personal terms with Neto, who is on £50,000-a-week, but the main problem will be to convince Wolves to sanction his sale at their price.
Neto put pen-to-paper on a new long-term contract only in March and his deal does not expire until June 2027.
Hence, Wolves are in a strong position to negotiate for the player, and the Gunners may need to pay a premium price, possibly in the region of £50-60 million in order to persuade them to sell.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com and Spotrac.com
