Tottenham Targets Chelsea’s Pedro Neto Amidst Attacking Rebuild
Tottenham Hotspur’s response to a bruising start to the new Premier League season is blunt: buy goals, and buy them fast.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side were hammered 3-0 by Brentford on Saturday evening, a sobering jolt for a club that spent the summer talking about evolution and ambition. The reaction has been immediate. Spurs are driving hard into the market for attacking firepower, and one of the names now firmly on their radar belongs to a London rival: Chelsea’s Pedro Neto.
Spurs chase firepower after Brentford setback
Tottenham are already deep into negotiations for Manchester City’s attacking pair Savinho and Omar Marmoush, deals that would significantly reshape their frontline. But De Zerbi wants more options, more variety, more threat.
Cody Gakpo has emerged as a key target. Spurs are interested in prising the Dutch international away from Liverpool, yet there is no clarity at this stage over whether an agreement can be reached. Liverpool’s stance and the size of the fee will dictate whether that move has any chance of getting over the line.
So Spurs are working on alternatives. They have to.
That is where Pedro Neto comes in.
Neto on the list – but at a premium
According to Sky Sports, Neto is among the forwards identified as part of Tottenham’s contingency plans if a deal for Gakpo proves impossible. The 26-year-old is not a bargain option. Chelsea value the Portuguese winger at around £100m, a figure that reflects both his importance and the current market for top wide players.
Chelsea’s position is nuanced. Neto has not been put on the market as a player they are actively trying to move on, yet he is not considered untouchable either. The message from Stamford Bridge is clear enough: he can go, but only for the right price.
That stance has already shaped interest from elsewhere. Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal explored a move but, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, backed away after judging the deal too expensive. Their focus has since shifted towards Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli.
Chelsea’s dilemma: value, rivals and a crowded squad
The question now is whether Chelsea would sanction Neto’s sale to a direct London rival this late in the window. Internally, they have benchmarked his valuation against other wide players sold this summer, using those deals to justify the £100m price tag.
Xabi Alonso is still feeling his way through a revamped Chelsea squad in his first season at the club. Neto has already been asked to adapt, deployed both as a wing-back and in more advanced attacking roles as Alonso searches for his best XI. That versatility underlines why Chelsea rate him so highly, but it also hints at the congestion in attacking areas.
Neto’s own stance will matter. Would he trade Stamford Bridge for Spurs at this stage of his career? That is an unanswered question, and one that could yet decide whether this interest becomes a genuine saga or fades into background noise.
Busy window at Stamford Bridge
While Spurs weigh up a move, Chelsea are braced for a frantic end to the summer window. Outgoings are the priority as Alonso looks to trim a bloated group for at least the first half of the season.
They have already turned down a loan bid from AS Roma for Jamie Gittens, a sign they are not prepared to let every young attacker leave on the cheap. Mykhailo Mudryk, back in action after the resolution of his doping case, is expected to head out on loan. Leeds United have already seen one offer rejected, with several other clubs monitoring his situation.
All of this creates a delicate balancing act. Chelsea want to protect value, clear space, and still give Alonso enough tools to shape his “new look” side. Spurs, stung by Brentford and desperate to sharpen their edge, are ready to test that resolve.
If Tottenham decide to seriously chase Pedro Neto, the next few days could pit financial muscle, squad planning and London rivalry against each other in the most unforgiving arena of all: the final stretch of a summer transfer window.
