Manchester City Line up Shock £70 Million Transfer Deal for Chelsea Forward Pedro Neto - Paper Round

When is the transfer set to happen?

A transfer hasn’t yet been agreed between City and Chelsea, with the latter valuing Pedro Neto at £70m. Manchester City easily have the financial resources to make that happen, and it appears that the prospect of selling Savinho to Spurs has motivated the club’s interest. Spurs would likely have to pay a large sum for Savinho, as they ended last season in a precarious position, so this move could easily fund the Neto transfer.

City will be keen to get the move over the line soon, to enable Neto to integrate with the City squad if he rejoins his former manager Maresa. Italian giants AC Milan and Saudi club Al-Hilal are reportedly also both interested in Neto, which raises an interesting prospect: Milan would struggle to match City’s buying power but could provide Champions League football, while Al-Hilal could certainly afford to compete for Neto, but is the Saudi Pro League the best place for a 26-year-old international? City can provide the money, the competitive football, and a proven relationship with the manager, which puts them as strong favourites.

What does this transfer mean to the club?

Manchester City recognise they need to strengthen after losing the Premier League title to Arsenal last year. Their midfield talisman Rodri has now moved to Barcelona, and legendary manager Pep Guardiola has departed. Maresca will be keen to establish a core of players that he can build his new team around, and his reported good relationship with Neto could be key to this. City also need more attacking options to support Erling Haaland - the Norwegian goal machine is worth his weight in gold, but City’s attack looks distinctly one-dimensional when Haaland isn’t at his best.

Other transfer news in Europe’s top leagues

Everton have successfully signed Christian Norgard from Arsenal for around £7m, which favours both clubs and gives Everton some much-needed defensive strength as well as a stable, established presence in their dressing room. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have completed the signing of Yan Diomande for a club-record €140 million fee from RB Leipzig, signalling the first major move of the new Jose Mourinho era. Madrid are notoriously impatient after a poor season and will seek to immediately re-establish themselves at the top of the European order with high-profile moves.

Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir has joined Celta Vigo on a season-long loan. United have also extended the loan of former first-team keeper Andre Onana to Trabzonspor, with Belgian keeper Senne Lammens establishing himself as Michael Carrick’s first-choice keeper last season.

Conclusion

There are still moves to be made in the transfer window, and Pedro Neto joining Man City would be one of the biggest moves within the EPL this season. Whether that will be enough to help City perform as their owners expect them to is another question - expect more transfer action before the window closes on September 1st.