Mikel Arteta’s dream Arsenal XI if Edu completes £50m summer top target as details of deal is very advanced.
Wolverhampton Wanderers star Pedro Neto has been linked with a move to Arsenal.
Arsenal’s season is well and truly underway, with the Gunners sitting top of the Premier League table. Mikel Arteta’s side have won all three of their league games so far, with the latest a convincing 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
Perhaps a reason for the north London club’s fast start is the incredibly impressive transfer business carried out by technical director Edu. The Gunners have spent in excess of £110million this summer to bring in Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Matt Turner.
h Arteta eyeing a deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers star Pedro Neto, according to The Athletic. The 22-year-old is reportedly a top target for Arsenal and is seen as a potential replacement for Nicolas Pepe should the Ivorian leave this summer.
Writing in his weekly column, The Athletic’s David Ornstein said: “Talks are said to have been taking place for more than a month and central to the dialogue is the intermediary Jorge Mendes, who represents Neto and is closely linked to operations at Molineux.
“Conversations so far have involved Mendes liaising with Arsenal and Wolves separately. While the interest from the Emirates Stadium is concrete and unanimous, their counterparts do not plan to sell the 22-year-old this summer. Neto extended his contract in March, committing him until 2027.”
Of course, it remains to be seen if Neto makes the move to the Emirates Stadium. It appears that a lot depends on Pepe departing this summer, with the 27-year-old linked with a loan move to Ligue 1 side Nice. It will also depend on Wolves sanctioning an exit for one of their key players, with reports suggesting that the West Midlands outfit have set an asking price of £50 million for Neto.
But if the Portuguese international did secure a move to Arsenal, is there a place for him in Arteta’s starting XI? Here, we take a look at how Arsenal could line up this season with Neto in the side: