Manchester City have entered the race to sign Chelsea winger Pedro Neto, with the Blues understood to have placed a £70million price tag on the Portugal international this summer, according to a report by Metro.
The 26-year-old, who has been one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers over the past two seasons. He is understood to be attracting interest from City as new head coach Enzo Maresca looks to reunite with a player he previously managed at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca, who left Chelsea at the turn of the year before being unveiled as City’s new head coach following the departure of Pep Guardiola, is said to have identified Neto as a player capable of adding pace, directness and creativity to his attacking options at the Etihad.
Neto’s rise since £54m move from Wolves
Neto arrived at Chelsea from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2024 in a deal worth around £54million, signing a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge. Since then he has made 103 appearances for the west London club, contributing 19 goals in all competitions.
The winger enjoyed arguably his finest campaign yet in 2025-26, playing 52 matches, starting 43 of them, and finishing the season with 10 goals and 10 assists — the most assists of any Chelsea player.
His form also carried into the international stage, where he won 25 senior caps for Portugal and started every match as his country reached the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Those performances explain why Chelsea now value Neto significantly higher than the fee they paid for him two years ago, with the club reportedly unwilling to let him leave for anything less than £70million.
Chelsea are not understood to be actively seeking a sale, and with Neto contracted until 2031, there is no pressure on the club to do business quickly.
Any departure would also likely require the Blues to source a replacement for a player who has become one of their most creative attacking outlets since his arrival.
Man City face competition from AC Milan
City’s move for Neto would not go unchallenged. AC Milan have also been strongly linked with the winger, with the Serie A club reportedly viewing him as a potential replacement for Rafael Leão, whose own future in Italy remains uncertain.
However, City’s financial strength is thought to give them the upper hand over their Italian rivals, whose resources may not stretch as far in a deal of this size.
Maresca’s existing relationship with Neto from their time together at Chelsea could also prove decisive should formal negotiations begin.
Should a move materialise, Neto would join a growing list of new arrivals at the Etihad this summer. City have already broken the British transfer record to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest in a £116million deal, a statement of intent from the Sky Blues as they look to strengthen further under their new head coach.
What it would mean for both clubs
For City, signing Neto would provide Maresca with a winger already familiar with his tactical demands — someone capable of stretching defences, attacking full-backs and delivering quality service into the box, all qualities the Italian has previously called upon during his time working with the Portuguese international.
For Chelsea, losing Neto would represent a significant blow, given his importance to the team over the past year. But with the fee on the table matching their valuation, and the club having already been busy in the transfer market this summer, a sale at the right price cannot be ruled out.
Talks between the two clubs are yet to reach an advanced stage, and with AC Milan still in the picture, the situation remains fluid.
What is clear, though, is that Neto’s situation has quickly become one of the most closely watched transfer sagas of the closing weeks of the summer window — with Manchester City increasingly determined to make it happen.
