Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly keeping a close eye on Wolves winger Pedro Neto as they seek to bolster their attack this summer.
The three-cap Portuguese international, 22, suffered a serious knee injury in April 2021, which ruled him out for the rest of the last season and the opening half of this campaign. He finally returned to full fitness last month and entered the pitch as a second-half substitute in Wolves’ 2-1 home victory over Midlands rivals Leicester City.
Despite agreeing on a new deal until 2027 with Wolves, the Daily Mail claims that Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring Pedro Neto’s progress for the rest of the campaign ahead of a potential swoop.
Neto joined Wolves from Lazio in 2019 and has gone on to make close to 90 appearances, scoring 10 goals. He had slowly but steadily become one of the Wanderers’ best players last campaign before a fractured knee cap hampered his development.
Now that the Portuguese will aim to get back to his usual best, PSG have added him to the potential winger’s list that includes Leeds United’s Raphinha and Barcelona contract rebel, Ousmane Dembele, the report adds.
Pedro Neto to PSG—A wise long-term signing?
Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has received a lot of flak over the notion that Lionel Messi and Neymar have not lived up to expectations so far this season. Kylian Mbappe has been consistent with his goal-scoring this season but he is out of contract in the summer and chances of him staying at Parc des Princes are slim.
In addition, with Neymar’s productivity dwindling in the last couple of campaigns, Messi past his prime and Angel di Maria keen to leave the club in favour of a return to Benfica when his contract expires in the summer, the Les Parisians could do a wise job by refreshing their attacking options. Pedro Neto, thus, becomes a viable target for PSG.
A left-winger by trade, Neto is extremely versatile as he can play on the right flank, in a false 9 position, second striker or as a no.10, and such sort of flexibility should be a boon to any manager. The three-cap Portuguese international is speedy, agile and creative, and excels at getting a few shots in on-target. A decent dribbler, he has the vision to create chances for his teammates around him in the final third of the field.
It is evidenced in Neto’s performances for Wolves last season where he had registered five goals and six assists in 31 league appearances. Going by his last term’s numbers, he had averaged 2.14 shots, 2 key passes and 2.1 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. The 22-year-old was tidy with his ball distribution as well as he had achieved an 88.4% pass success rate. (stats courtesy: whoscored)
Indeed, Neto has done well at Wolves and at the age of just 22, he has what it takes to further hone his skills as a footballer. If he can avoid a relapse of his knee problem and get back to speed in the remaining few months of the season, PSG must definitely make a move for the Wolves attacker.