Country: England
Wolves are a selling club, so this will probably get done, unfortunately.
Better than SakaHow is he defensively?
Ornstein: Arsenal want Wolves' Neto, Forest eye Reguilon, Leeds reject Harrison Newcastle bid
Arsenal want Neto if Pepe leaves, Forest in talks over Reguilon, Newcastle fail in latest Harrison attempttheathletic.com
David Ornstein
Aug 22, 2022
Negotiations between Arsenal and Nice over a loan move for Nicolas Pepe provide the north London club with a potential opportunity to sign a new winger before the transfer market closes.
Though an addition will only be made if Arsenal can afford it and think it is going to improve their options, several candidates have come under serious consideration.
After securing Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos, it is unlikely that Arsenal will be able to spend extortionately and they are conscious of financial fair play limitations.
The top target at present, The Athletic has learned, is Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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.
Arsenal are keen on Neto but Wolves don’t want to sell (Photo: Getty Images)
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.
It is unclear what level of finance it might take for Wolves to contemplate letting one of their key men depart, but discussions are ongoing as Arsenal explore whether a deal could be achievable.
Previously in the window, suitors for Neto were led to believe that he was unavailable or felt the Portugal international would be too costly. But the arrival of Goncalo Guedes and Matheus Nunes into coach Bruno Lage’s attack may be interpreted by admirers as creating an opening on Neto.