17 February 2024 , 09:04
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Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has insisted he is not planning to lose Pedro Neto, though did leave the door open for a move in the future.
Neto is being chased by Arsenal, with the Gunners looking to add to their attacking options. The Premier League title challengers have made the Wolves star one of their top targets amid his impressive season at Molineux.
The 23-year-old has scored two goals and notched eight assists so far this campaign, helping Wolves to secure themselves in mid-table. Though he still has more than three years to run on his contract, Arsenal are preparing to make a move for him in the summer.
But the talk of Neto's potential exit has taken his current boss O'Neil by surprise. He insisted that he would love to keep the attacker in the Midlands and hinted that if he did leave, Wolves would charge a high fee.
“I saw some of the stuff out there and none of that came from me or the club. There will be rumours circulating around a lot of our players hopefully because of the work they’re doing," O'Neil said.
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“But the club’s stance will be decided in the summer on who we think we can lose – whether that’s anybody – and what the price needs to be. There’s nothing on Pedro Neto apart from working desperately hard with him to ensure he has a fantastic end to the season.
“Do I think he can make it to the very top of football? Yes I do. I’d love that to be with us and for us to progress with him, so let’s see how the season pans out. I don’t set the price tags either – I pick the team and set the tactics, so if we’re going to lose good footballers, I’m sure the club will get what they think is right for them.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! Would Pedro Neto be a good signing for Arsenal? Comment below.
Boss Gary O'Neil is keen to keep Neto at the club (Wolves via Getty Images)Neto is set to be involved when Wolves travel to high-flying Tottenham on Saturday. That will give him another chance to impress any suitors, though O'Neil has warned he has no plans to let Neto depart.
“We’re not planning to lose Neto so there’s no plan for a new Neto. But there will always be a plan in place," the Wolves boss said when asked if he had started preparing to replace Neto in light of Arsenal's interest.
"When it started to look like we were going to lose Matheus Nunes, there were things that started to get done in the background in terms of how we would best support the squad. Some of them we got done, some of them we didn’t.
"That would be the same with any player we lose. If we do lose players in the summer they might not always be like-for-like replacements. Sometimes it will be what the squad needs best so I’m keen that these answers aren’t linked to Pedro Neto.
"It’s just a case of if we lose players, money will be invested the best way we see fit. Sometimes that’s like for like and sometimes it’s spread across the group to give us a bit more depth.”