About a month ago, the well-known transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that Arsenal were on the hunt for a winger this summer, but the identity of that player remained a mystery. Speaking on CBS Sports' Que Golazo podcast following the completion of the Oleksandr Zinchenko deal, the journalist stated that the Gunners are prioritizing a wide attacker after the failed attempt to land Raphinha.
"Good question, I will try to find out and tell you in the coming days," Romano said when asked which winger the north London giants would target next.
Several names have been linked with the Emirates Stadium since that update, including Bayer Leverkusen ace Moussa Diaby, Bayern Munich superstar Leroy Sane, Villarreal starlet Yeremy Pino, and Shakhtar Donetsk prodigy Mykhailo Mudryk. However, only now has Arsenal's priority target been confirmed.
And that player is none other than Pedro Neto, the highly-rated Wolves winger. This story came courtesy of David Ornstein of the Athletic, reporting that the Gunners have been in talks with his agent for a month in order to lay the foundations for this deal.
The Portuguese ace is represented by Jorge Mendes, the agent who brokered Fabio Vieira's move to Arsenal earlier this summer. However, this doesn't mean that there are no roadblocks. The biggest issue facing the Gunners is Wolves' desire – or lack thereof – to sell as Bruno Lage's side wish to keep the 22-year-old at the Molineux.
Additionally, Neto signed a contract extension back in March which will keep him with the Midlands outfit until 2027, meaning his current employers hold all the power.
Daniel Cutts of the Sun has also weighed in with his own insight, writing on Twitter that there is a huge gap in valuation. While Arsenal are willing to pay £35M ($41M), Wolves want around £59M ($59M) to sanction this deal.
Arsenal have already held initial talks over a move for Pedro Neto. #AFC want to pay £35m, Wolves want around £50m. No official bid yet, but Mikel Arteta a huge fan of the winger.
— Daniel Cutts (@Journo_Slash) August 22, 2022
It should be noted that after another huge spending spree, signing the likes of Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Jesus, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, the north London giants aren't blessed with funds currently and will need to determine whether this move is financially feasible before tabling a bid. Additionally, Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans remains a target, meaning Arsenal won't be able to go all out on Neto.
Arteta's men are currently top of the Premier League table, having won all of their opening three games in the league. Next up for Jesus and Co. is an interesting London derby against newly-promoted Fulham, which will take place next weekend at the Emirates Stadium.
