Arsenal to rival London club for the potential transfer of PL star valued at £85m - Reports
Arsenal are reportedly prepared to go head-to-head with their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Wolverhampton Wanderers star Pedro Neto. As claimed by Give Me Sport journalist Ben Jacobs, the two north London giants are set to battle it out for the Portuguese international in the summer.
Jacobs has claimed that the Portugal international is going to cost a lot with both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur interested in his services. Wolves could reportedly demand well beyond £85 million for their star attacker whose deal at the Molineux runs until 2027.
Jacobs said, as quoted by Give Me Sport:
"It will obviously depend on the payment terms and the structure, but there's going to be nothing cut price because he's well contracted at the football club. I think Spurs and Arsenal could be two to watch for the summer.
"I think that based upon other transfers in an inflated market at the moment, that kind of number [£65m] is relatively fair by Wolves. It doesn't feel excessive."
Jacobs added:
"They might be well within their rights to be saying, given his form and the demand, they want, even in excess of £85m. Simply because other players in the market in the last few windows have gone for those kind of amounts. But the starting point for suitors for Neto is going to be more around the £55m to £65m mark."
Neto has been on fire for Wolves this season, having scored thrice and having produced 11 assists in 19 appearances across competitions. The 23-year-old is enjoying the best season of his career despite missing nine games with a hamstring injury.
Liverpool legend not entirely convinced by Arsenal's title challenge
Liverpool icon John Barnes has claimed that he is yet to be fully convinced by Arsenal's Premier League title credentials this season. The ex-England winger insisted that Manchester City remain the frontrunners for the title with Liverpool being the closest challenger.
Barnes claimed that Mikel Arteta's side were in a much better position last season before they stumbled at the end with Manchester City clinching the title. He said on Premier League Productions, as quoted by The Mirror:
"City are the favourites, I make Liverpool the second favourites. Arsenal were in a better position last year, but I’ve said since the Premier League started: March, April is when you really start to look at who the runners and riders are, because you have teams like Aston Villa and Tottenham who [looked like contenders] six weeks ago.
"When you’re coming into the end of February/March, it’s all about can you just get a result, and Man City are all conquering, all dominant in that respect. Liverpool for me are the closest challengers because there are certain games where Liverpool have’t played well but have got a result."
Barnes also questioned whether Arsenal could cope with the pressure of the intense title race against teams like Liverpool and Manchester City. He added:
"Arsenal have to play well to win and if they don’t play well they may not win, and that is why as much as they’re doing well now I still think it’s between Man City and Liverpool. Liverpool winning today is going to put the pressure on.
"Man City will handle that pressure. City won’t get nervous that Liverpool are getting away from them because they are such an incredible team. Liverpool playing first will affect Arsenal but not Man City."
Liverpool are currently leading the table with 57 points in 25 games with Mikel Arteta's side sitting second trailing by just two points. Manchester City are four points the Reds behind but have a game in hand.