PL rivals reach €63m agreement for winger touted as Mohamed Salah replacement | OneFootball

One of Liverpool’s Premier League rivals have reached an agreement to sign a star winger who many fans saw as being a potential heir to Mohamed Salah.

The Athletic have reported that Chelsea have come to an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for their 24 year-old star man Pedro Neto. The Portuguese wide player has been consistently linked with a variety of Premier League clubs including Tottenham and Liverpool.

It had been reported earlier this week that Spurs were in the driving seat when it came to capturing Neto’s signature, but high-spending Chelsea have surprised many by agreeing to Wolves’ terms of a €60m+ fee.

Read more: Liverpool set for transfer WINDFALL as £65m mega-deal edges closer

Neto had a strong 2023/24 season for Wolves and made a massive difference to the Old Gold, racking up three goals and eleven assists in 24 appearances. Often deployed on either flank, Neto was part of a patchy but entertaining front line with Matheus Cunha and Hee-chan Hwang.

Such was Neto’s form that some Liverpool fans wanted the club to go all-out to sign him this summer, seeing the fast, technically and statistically proficient left-footed winger as a natural replacement for Salah.

Why Liverpool avoided Pedro Neto

However, it’s probably for the best that Arne Slot and Richard Hughes did not opt to spend such a large sum on Neto given he has suffered chronic injury problems.

Neto’s record when it comes to staying healthy is abysmal; he’s missed 60 games in that last two seasons alone.

London, England, 4th February 2024. Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers warms up during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, London. Picture credit should read: Paul Terry / Sportimage EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or live services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. SPI-2920-0158

In this regard, Neto is somewhat reminiscent of fellow countryman Diogo Jota. Brilliant whenever they are on the pitch, but being consistently available seems to be a difficult task due to their injury-prone status.

Such a patchy injury record would surely call into question spending well over £50m on Neto.

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