Pedro Neto: Chelsea agree £54m deal with Wolves to sign Portuguese winger also wanted by Tottenham and Man City | Football News

Pedro Neto has passed his medical ahead of his £54million move from Wolves to Chelsea.

The deal, agreed on Friday, consists of an initial payment of £51.4m plus £2.6m in add-ons.

An agreement in principle has already been reached on the personal terms: Neto will sign a six-year contract, with an option for another year.

Manchester City and Spurs were also interested in the Wolves forward, who will be introduced at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Chelsea play a pre-season friendly against Inter.

Neto showed excellent form for Wolves last season with three goals and 11 assists, despite suffering two hamstring problems in an injury-riddled season that saw him out of action for three months.

The Portugal international, who has capped 10 times for his country and was included in the squad for Euro 2024, is expected to feature alongside Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling as wingers for the new campaign, although Sterling has also been linked with Italian club Juventus.

Neto becomes Chelsea’s ninth summer signing, joining Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jorgensen, Omari Kellyman, Aaron Anselmino, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Marc Guiu and Tosin Adarabioyo as Enzo Maresca bolsters his squad for the new season.

The Blues are also set to sign striker Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £34.5million, while midfielder Conor Gallagher is set to head in the opposite direction in a separate £36million transfer.

Chelsea are also interested in Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley as a potential replacement for Gallagher.

Why is Chelsea going for Neto?

Sam Blitz from Sky Sports:

If Maresca wants to build his Chelsea team along the same lines as Pep Guardiola at Man City and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, then Neto is an absolute must.

Both Guardiola and Arteta rely on ‘one-on-one scouts’ on the wings – think Bukayo Saka, Jeremy Doku, Gabriel Martinelli and Jack Grealish – and even during an injury-plagued spell at Wolves, Neto has proven to be one of the best attacking wingers in the Premier League in individual battles.

Last season, Gary O’Neil took the shackles off Neto. “Don’t turn it down, let’s go every time. It doesn’t matter if you lose it, test him. Let’s go,” O’Neil said last season when asked about his individual instructions to the Portuguese winger.

And Neto did. The 24-year-old was constantly involved in one-on-one battles last season, but most importantly there was an end product. Only Kevin De Bruyne averaged more assists per 90 minutes than Neto, who is fortunate enough to be equally effective on both flanks.

With Mudryk, Madueke and Sterling also effective in one-on-one situations, Chelsea appear to have an arsenal of wingers who can complement the aggressive style of play that Maresca wants.

Miserable preparation and 44 players – Maresca’s problems pile up

The approach of a new Premier League season often brings hope, optimism and excitement. But in Chelsea’s case, is it time to worry?

It may only be pre-season, but just one win from their five friendlies in the US won’t have been the start Maresca was looking for a coach who was preparing for his first season as head coach in a top division.

The Italian named strong teams in those games but saw his new team concede 12 goals. The visit of Inter Milan – last season’s runaway winners of Serie A – in Chelsea’s final pre-season friendly on Sunday is a daunting prospect.

After leading Leicester to the championship title in his only full season as head coach, Maresca has been thrown in at the deep end at Stamford Bridge.

The performances were as disappointing as the results, with Chelsea’s sloppy attempts to build play from the back contributing to a number of opposition goals.

Off the field, Maresca had to reintegrate Enzo Fernandez in the Chelsea dressing room after the racist video he posted on social media, while the fans’ favourite Galagher is heading for the exit as the Blues’ technical directors continue their youth-focused reorganisation of the squad.

Another busy summer means Chelsea’s own website lists 44 players in their first-team squad. But if Maresca was hoping for some respite after a tumultuous pre-season, he’ll be disappointed – Manchester City are their opponents in their Premier League opener, live on Sky Sport on August 18th.

But who will be part of the squad that will take on the champion? Sky Sport tries to provide some clarity – and you can cast your vote too…

Read Joe Shread’s full article and give your opinion on Chelsea’s squad here.

When does the summer transfer window open and close?

The Summer transfer window 2024 officially closes on August 30 at 11pm UK time in the Premier League and 11.30pm in Scotland.

The Premier League has brought forward Deadline Day to align with other major leagues in Europe. The cut-off dates were set after consultation with leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.