New reports suggest that Pedro Neto may be departing Molineux this summer, as Manchester United are interested in signing the young winger for a fee in the area of £40 million.
Allegedly, United will use their own Portuguese star Bruno Fernandes to secure the move, with both players set to star for their national team at the European Championship this summer. Fernandes will do the work of convincing his compatriot to join him at Old Trafford, annulling much of the negotiation work that would need to be done.
Neto would be an alternative option to Jadon Sancho, who the Red Devils have unsuccessfully pursued for the last two summers. A wide forward with impressive pace, close skill, and finishing; Neto would provide an identical threat for a fraction of the price of the Borussia Dortmund winger.
While getting Sancho would be a coup for Solskjaer and new Director of Football John Murtough after their long-winded pursuit of him, securing a much cheaper option who seems to have very few drawbacks would show off a more refined, sensible transfer approach for a new regime of football: one that is less concerned with big names and big fees than it is with quality at the right price.
As a player, Neto is nothing to be scoffed at. A bright spark in Wolves’ faltering season, he has a total of nine-goal contributions (five goals, four assists) this term despite being surrounded by inconsistent forwards and no central striker in Raul Jimenez. Wolves recognised the potential and quality of the starlet by giving him a new contract back in November, but it is unlikely to halt United in their pursuit of the winger if they do want to bring him up to Salford.
The rumours of using Fernandes to secure Neto’s move are particularly interesting, as they suggest that United already have a strategy in place to bring him in. Although Neto only has two full international caps for Portugal, being called up for the first time at the end of last year, he will be well acquainted in the Portugal camp being surrounded at Wolves by a vast number of internationals. It is no shock to think that he may have made fast friends with Fernandes while away on international duty – a friendship that may yield a big move up the Premier League.
Unfortunately for Wolves and manager Nuno, they would be helpless to stop United in their acquisition of the forward. The move would be an almost identical one to Diogo Jota’s last year, with the also-Portuguese forward sold for a fee in the region of £40 million – almost exactly the same price as the one reported for Neto. With evidence already existent that Wolves would be prepared to sell, and United already springing their transfer traps for the summer, this is a deal we might see concluded before the window even opens.
In other news, Chelsea’s new German manager Thomas Tuchel is turning Chelsea’s season around.
