Pedro Neto has been ever-present since his arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers, making over 100 appearances in all competitions in just two seasons, scoring 19 goals and adding the same amount of assists. Not exactly outrageous numbers, but Neto’s drive, energy, and availability (an important quality especially in a frequently injury-decimated team) made him a very important member of the squad. Or maybe Enzo Maresca just really liked him.
But the situation is changing. Maresca’s gone and Xabi Alonso is here, so Neto may not be a perfect fit for the system anymore. And, more to the point, we just spent a club-record amount on Morgan Rogers, with the idea to play him alongside Cole Palmer. There’s still room for Neto in there — and his aforementioned qualities are always useful — but hardly a nailed on role, especially without any European football to help supply additional minutes and opportunities.
The 26-year-old isn’t officially transfer listed of course, though the Mail report that we are “ready to demand a major fee” if some supposed interest from Manchester City or Liverpool materializes.
That seems rather speculative, though Liverpool are actively shopping for a winger and Neto would certainly be a cheaper option than Bradley Barcola, while Manchester City are an easy link thanks to Maresca’s presence there. Of course, he’s been linked with Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernández as well, and neither of those threads have gone anywhere (in fact, Cucu’s gone to Real Madrid instead while Enzo may be staying after all).
Chelsea spent over £50m to get Neto from Wolves in 2024, so I’d assume that any asking price we might set would look to turn a tidy profit on that amount.
