Arsenal fans in delight as Pedro Neto’s transfer to the Emirates gets a new update

Arsenal’s plans for the final week of the summer transfer have become even clearer with incomings and outgoings still on the agenda.

Recall that National Daily had earlier reported that Arsenal winger and transfer record signing Nicolas Pepe is closing in on a return to Ligue 1 side OGC Nice after an agreement was believed to have been reached over a season-long loan deal, whilst Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been offered to fellow Premier League outfit Southampton as he appears to have no future at the Emirates.

And the Gunners have however been touted to be interested in bringing Wolves’ winger  Pedro Neto to the Emirates as a cover to thier sole recognized winger Bukayo Saka especially as Pepe is already heading towards the exit door.

Though National Daily had earlier revealed from the emanating reports that Wolves are shutting the door against Arsenal’s bid to recruit Neto, but there is however the possibility for the Gunners to redeem their hope of finally getting their desired target Neto before the transfer window’s deadline.

The Spanish media outlet, The Athletic has described the 22-year-old Neto as the ‘mystery winger’ that Arsenal technical director Edu has been targeting for the past month and he could be a direct replacement for Pepe.

And just as with any deal, there’s no 100% guarantee that the Gunners will be successful in their pursuit of the talented forward especially going by Wolves manager Bruno Lage’s take after he broke his silence on the speculation following his side’s Carabao Cup second-round win over Preston North End in midweek.

“I have heard that but nothing has come to us,” he told reporters. “It’s normal now, with the good players that we have. Teams are looking for good players in the same way we are looking for (Goncalo) Guedes, Matheus (Nunes), (Nathan) Collins. No one told me anything about any proposal.”

Meanwhile, in a bid to ascertain the possibility of Neto’s potential move to Arsenal before the end of the summer transfer window come September 1, football.london engaged BirminghamLive’s Senior Football Writer, Alex Dicken.

And for Dicken: “I think it would be a lot more than the £35m I’ve seen flying around. Wolves would surely be after in excess of £50m for Neto, who has five years remaining on his contract. Having just banked £30m-plus for Morgan Gibbs-White, Wolves are in a very strong position.”

And below are Dicken’s further views on the possibility of Neto ending up at the Emirates on or before the transfer deadline day:

We’ve seen reports that Wolves want to keep hold of Pedro Neto, what could change their mind?

Alex said: “Wolves want to keep Neto, just as they wanted to keep Gibbs-White – but Bruno Lage will be the first to admit that every player has his price. A large sum of money would obviously make Wolves’ hierarchy think, but from what we can see Arsenal don’t seem overly keen to spend a huge fee on another player in this particular window.”

Would Wolves be interested in any Arsenal players for a potential swap deal?

Alex said: “I’m not sure. Wolves need a striker and possibly a full-back. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is a player Wolves wanted previously, but I think that ship has sailed. Cedric Soares is another interesting one, but he’s going to turn 31 at the end of this month so I doubt he’d appeal to Wolves.”

What is Wolves’ stance on player sales this summer? Is Morgan Gibbs-White’s sale the exception in terms of big-money outgoings?

Alex said: “A club like Wolves accept they will always have to trade in the market. There’s a chance they could sell, but it would be on their terms.”

There have been links to Sasa Kalajdzic for Wolves, would he be a direct replacement for Neto or will Guedes and Podence step up?

Alex said: Kalajdzic isn’t a replacement for Neto. Lage wants a physical striker and Kalajdzic, at 6ft 7in, is that. Neto plays either right or left wing for Wolves.

It is however left to be seen if Wolves will finally give in to Arsenal’s desire to lure Neto away to the Emirates before September 1 which will definitely be a big delight to the Gunners fans anyway.