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Opinion: Chelsea learn extent of Impact if winger left - Man City among clubs interested

· Gerry Crisandy · 2026-08-12T20:26:54+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Absolute Chelsea Opinion: Chelsea Learn Extent Of Impact If Winger Left - Man City Among Clubs Interested Chelsea could let Pedro Neto leave for a "significant" price, but how would his potential exit affect Xabi Alonso's plans? Chelsea winger Pedro Neto’s future at Stamford Bridge remains uncertain amid reported interest from several Premier League clubs, including Manchester City. Earlier reports suggested that Chelsea have made their stance quite clear on Enzo Fernandez, who has also been linked with a possible switch to Manchester City. The door is not closed for a potential exit, but only if another club meet Chelsea’s £120 million asking price for the midfielder. Chelsea hold a similar view on Neto’s case. As reported by BBC Sport, the Portugal international has generated interest from four Premier League sides, including Enzo Maresca's Manchester City. Obviously, Chelsea do not expect to fetch a fee close to the £120m they are demanding for Fernandez from a possible Neto deal, but, while not specified, the club would only be open to a “significant” offer for the winger. The £117m fee the club paid to Aston Villa for Morgan Rogers and Paris Saint-Germain’s £145m valuation of Bradley Barcola are said to have influenced Chelsea's high asking price for Neto. The report mentions how he is among the Chelsea players who were dissatisfied with Maresca's exit earlier this year and could be tempted by a reunion with the Italian in Manchester. The question is how big an impact would Neto’s departure have on this Chelsea side? It remains unclear how much Neto would command for Chelsea to sanction an exit this summer. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan Versatile, reliable wide player Neto played the second-most Premier League minutes (34 appearances, 30 starts) among Chelsea attackers last season, behind only Joao Pedro. He made 52 appearances in total across all competitions, providing 10 goals and 10 assists for the team. This shows how much Xabi Alonso’s predecessors, Maresca and Liam Rosenior, relied on the 26-year-old. Most of his involvement is in his primary position as a right winger, but he has also featured on the left and even as a false nine. Neto also featured as a right wing-back in Chelsea’s pre-season win over AC Milan last weekend and did quite well. Alonso would certainly not mind having such an adaptable attacker in his squad, but given that he is not on Chelsea’s list of “untouchable” players, he is clearly not as crucial to their plans. The arrival of Geovany Quenda means Chelsea have an additional right winger to compete with Estevao Willian for the position. Additionally, if Alonso plans to stick with the 3-4-2-1 as a primary structure, there is even less need for having many wingers. While Neto indeed could be useful as an attacking right wing-back, Marco Palestra and Malo Gusto are arguably safer bets for this role, too. Chelsea simply have so many options in almost every position that Swiss-knife players like Neto may prove obsolete. It is more about whether Alonso trusts the two teenagers, Estevao and Quenda, especially with their recent injury records, to be his main right wingers for the season. Otherwise, keeping Neto makes a lot of sense. Neto, who joined Chelsea two years ago, remains under a long-term contract until 2031.