Wolves winger Pedro Neto is reportedly Arsenal's transfer priority in the final days of this summer's window.
Arsenal have already brought in five players this summer - Gabriel Jesus, Matt Turner, Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira and Oleksandr Zinchenko - to great effect. They've won all three of their Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace, Leicester and Bournemouth.
Yet manager Mikel Arteta has made no secret of his desire to bring in at least one more player before the window closes on September 1 and it's believed his main target is Neto, a 22-year-old with three years of Premier League experience under his belt.
According to The Athletic, Neto is Arsenal's 'top target'. It's claimed talks between the Gunners and agent Jorge Mendes, who represents several Wolves players and Cristiano Ronaldo, have been going on for more than a month - but Wolves want to keep the winger.
Neto signed a new long-term contract in March, which doesn't expire until June 2027. Arsenal's interest has been described as 'concrete and unanimous', but it's unclear how much they will need to offer Wolves to lure him away from Molineux.
Wolves may be willing to sell Neto following the arrivals of Goncalo Guedes and Matheus Nunes. Having said that, Bruno Lage has just allowed Morgan Gibbs-White to join Nottingham Forest in a £42million deal and could be reluctant to lose another winger.
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According to Transfermarkt, Neto is valued at £28m, although he's likely to cost far more than that considering his age and contract status. Arsenal have already invested well over £100m this summer and may not have the budget to get this deal over the line.
Neto has a decent record in the Premier League, scoring nine goals and providing 10 assists in 76 appearances. He's also not scared of a challenge, picking up 10 yellow cards during his time in England's top flight. He is yet to be dismissed during his professional career.
Wolves signed Neto from Portuguese side Braga three years ago. The three-cap Portugal international played just 13 Premier League games last season after suffering a serious knee injury in April 2021, delaying his progress at Molineux. Yet he's fully fit again.
Several exciting wingers have flourished at Wolves in recent years, including Chiquinho, Daniel Podence and Adama Traore. Diogo Jota, who joined Liverpool from Wolves in the summer of 2020 and can play as a centre-forward, can also be added to that list.
Neto could replace Nicolas Pepe in Arsenal's squad. The Ivory coast international, 27, cost the Gunners a record £72m when he arrived from Lille three years ago but has scored just 16 Premier League goals since, with only one of those coming last season.
It's believed Arteta is willing to let Pepe join Nice on loan, which would free up some room in his budget. The winger is not expected to command a transfer fee this summer, although that remains an option in 12 months' time. His contract expires in June 2024.
