€63m Chelsea transfer timing could help Arsenal

Chelsea are set to complete the signing of former Arsenal transfer target Pedro Neto, a week before the Gunners host Wolves at the Emirates Stadium.

Fabrice Hawkins and David Ornstein broke the news on Friday afternoon that Chelsea had reached an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for the signing of Pedro Neto, for a fee of €60m plus €3m in add-ons.

Hawkins adds this morning that Neto has arrived in London for a medical and contract signing, after which he will officially become a Chelsea player.

The timing of the move is convenient for Arsenal, as the Gunners open their Premier League campaign against Wolves on August 17th, one week from now.

Neto had returned to pre-season with Wolves following his participation with Portugal at Euro 2024, but they’ll now lose him just days before they travel to the Emirates Stadium.

Of course, Arsenal were interested in Neto themselves at one point, but that ship did seem to sail a while ago. There have been little-to-no links between the Gunners and the Portuguese winger this summer.

Neto’s injury record was proving problematic, with the 24-year-old missing 23 games for club and country in 2023/24, 27 games in 2022/23, and 36 games in 2021/22.

As a result, Ornstein reported earlier in the window that Neto probably wasn’t a priority for Arsenal this time around, with players like Nico Williams preferred.

Whether the Gunners succeed in signing one of their Neto alternatives is another matter, but Chelsea evidently saw the opportunity for a free run at the transfer.