Manchester City ‘enter the race’ with Arsenal for highly-rated Premier League forward – talks initiated with representatives

Arsenal and Manchester City could battle off the field in the coming months, with the Premier League giants reportedly keen on a Wolverhampton Wanderers star.

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta’s sides are going head-to-head once again at the top of the Premier League this season, albeit with challenges from Aston Villa and Liverpool this time around.

But there competition extends beyond the pitch, according to new reports, linking the Premier League duo with an interest in the services of one of the division’s most talented forwards, as they look to further cement their position at the top of the table.

City have not seen too many difficulties in the goalscoring department so far this season, but are no strangers to wanting to develop their first-team squad even further, knowing the unpredictable nature of form and injuries within the game.

As such, that desire to scout the next line of talent for Pep Guardiola’s side has drawn them to Wolverhampton Wanderers – just months after successfully negotiating with the Molineux club over the transfer of Portugal international Matheus Nunes.

Now, according to the information of Football Transfers’ Steve Kay, it is suggested that Manchester City have ‘entered the race’ to sign Pedro Neto, with Etihad Stadium representatives having ‘initiated talks’ with the player’s agent to gauge interest in a move.

It is further detailed that City have a ‘good relationship’ with Pedro Neto’s agent as well as Wolves’ sporting director Matt Hobbs, while Premier League rivals Arsenal had previously been considered ‘front-runners’ for the attacker.

From a Manchester City perspective, Football Transfers report that the Premier League champions’ interest is driven by their need for a ‘defensively sound’ right-winger, aiming to provide support to club captain Kyle Walker.

In a boost to any potential suitors’ hopes of signing Pedro Neto in 2024, it is also reported that the Portuguese winger has ‘expressed his desire’ to depart from Wolves at the end of the ongoing season, but will not look to push for a transfer in the January market.

Pedro Neto has been a mainstay in Gary O’Neil’s squad when fit this season, amassing a total of 11 appearances in the Premier League so far, scoring just the one goal but providing eight assists – all of which came in an eight-game period between August and October.

Neto joined Wolves in 2019 after a loan spell with Italian side Lazio that resulted in an obligation to buy becoming active in the same summer.