Chelsea have reportedly placed a £70million price tag on Pedro Neto as Manchester City weigh up a summer move for the Portugal international. The 26-year-old winger has emerged as one of City's primary attacking targets after contributing five goals and six assists in Chelsea's challenging Premier League campaign last season.
Neto joined the Blues from Wolves in 2024 for around £51million and has since helped the west London club secure both the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup. This weekend, he was photographed boarding a flight to Hong Kong to link up with Xabi Alonso's squad for Wednesday's pre-season friendly against Juventus.
City prepare opening bid
According to The Sun, Neto's future at Stamford Bridge is uncertain, and City are preparing to test Chelsea's resolve with a substantial opening offer. The report claims City head coach Enzo Maresca has been instrumental in pushing for Neto's signing, having previously worked with the winger during his 18-month tenure at Chelsea.
City may face competition from Serie A giants AC Milan, who have placed Neto at the top of their shortlist of wingers as they anticipate the possible departure of Rafael Leao. A deal could be struck with an offer in the region of £70million before the transfer deadline, according to the report.
Player open to move
Chelsea view Neto as a key member of their squad and dressing room but acknowledge that a hefty bid could change their stance. Neto's agent, Jorge Mendes, has also offered the player to Al-Hilal, but Neto has reservations about moving to the Saudi Pro League and prefers to continue playing at the highest level.
Although a regular starting spot may not be immediately guaranteed at City, Neto is said to be 'open' to the idea of leaving Chelsea for the Etihad. His current contract with Chelsea runs until June 2031.
Speaking about Chelsea's transfer activity, Alonso said: 'I'm sure that from today to the last day of the transfer window there will be a lot of links, a lot of rumours, so to be commenting on all of them, it's going to be a hard task. But for sure, we need proper balance in terms of qualities, in terms of positions, in terms of balance. We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team.'
Financial implications
The potential sale of Neto would help Chelsea balance the books following their record-breaking £117million transfer for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers. The Blues have also brought in Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Danny Welbeck, and Valentin Barco this summer, with veteran Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson expected to join soon.
Reports in Spain indicate Chelsea have reached an agreement with Rayo Vallecano for Pep Chavarria, who is set to replace Marc Cucurella at left-back.
