Manchester United almost signed Pedro Neto, as the Wolves ace closes in on a move to Chelsea. The 24-year-old winger has suddenly emerged as a target for the Blues as Enzo Maresca looks to strengthen his frontline before the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.
football.london understands that Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Neto from Wolves. The West Londoners will pay €60m (£51.4m) plus €3m (£2.6m) in add-ons for the Portugal international, who will undergo a medical shortly.
Neto, who sees his contract at Molineux expire in June 2027, was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in the past, but now he looks set to pen a deal at Stamford Bridge. In fact, according to The Athletic, United identified the Portuguese ace as a target in back in 2017 when he was a second-year scholar in Braga’s youth setup.
The report states that Neto was invited to visit the club’s training base and he watched an academy match at Leigh Sports Village. It’s said that the Red Devils would have only had to pay training compensation to sign the then 17-year-old, and recruitment staff pushed for a deal to be struck.
However, The Athletic claim that higher-ups waited ‘several weeks’ before formalising a contract offer – by which point Neto decided to sign a new deal with Braga instead. After impressing in his homeland, he later joined Lazio in the Italian top flight on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy.
Unfortunately for United, the club have lived to regret their blunder, with Neto establishing himself as one of the most exciting wingers in the Premier League. Last season, the Wolves ace featured 20 times in the Premier League, scoring two goals and providing nine assists.
Source: football.london
