With the dust having settled on the World Cup and the start of the Premier League season less than a month away, the transfer window is now the main show in town as teams scramble to recruit for the new campaign.
For the first time in a decade, Manchester City are attacking the summer market with a new man in charge, after Enzo Maresca’s appointment to replace Pep Guardiola in the Etihad dugout.
City have already been active in the market, bringing in promising youngsters Pierce Charles and Jeremy Monga, before their £116million move for England midfielder Elliot Anderson.
City’s attempted Chelsea raids continue
It feels like further big-money signings are inevitable at City, as the club look to win their first title for three years, and the latest player linked is a familiar face for City fans – and new boss Maresca.
According to reports, Maresca is ready to raid his former side Chelsea with an audacious move for one of the Blues’ most potent talents.
Pedro Neto was one of Maresca’s first signings at Stamford Bridge following his summer 2024 arrival, with the Portuguese featuring 74 times during the coach’s 18-month tenure, scoring 15 times and laying on 12 assists.
Now, Caught Offside claim Maresca wants to bring Neto to the Etihad, as the Italian looks to bolster his options on the flanks.
The report claims Neto is ‘not entirely untouchable’ with the club willing to listen to the right offer, which would need to be in the region of €80million. That would represent a tidy profit for the Blues, who shelled out €60million for the 26-year-old when they bought him in from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2024.
With Chelsea having already spent big this summer when they broke Anderson’s short-lived British transfer record to sign his Three Lions team-mate Morgan Rogers for £117million, the London side again look set for a busy summer in the transfer market.
Whether they will want to sell Neto to a team that is considered a direct rival or not could be a challenge for City, but their hopes may be bolstered by the fact that they will have seen Chelsea sell defender Andrey Santos to Manchester United already this summer.
From City’s point of view, the winger position could become a priority if Tottenham step up their interest in Savinho, following boss Roberto De Zerbi’s admission last week that Spurs will now be prioritising attacking signings.
In FourFourTwo’s view, it’s not hard to see why City and Maresca would potentially go in for Neto, who is rated at €60million on Transfermarket, with the Portugal international just entering his peak years having played in England since 2019.
Liverpool have also been interested in a move for Neto, but the allure of working again with Maresca at a time when the club are entering a new era is likely to be a big pull for the player, assuming City are able to convince Chelsea to sell to a rival.
