Liverpool, Arsenal transfer path blocked as Wolves dig heels in over ‘incredible’ star who is bettering James Maddison

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has delivered a very firm message over the future of Pedro Neto amid claims Arsenal and Liverpool are pushing to sign the Portuguese star in a £50m-plus deal in 2024.

The 23-year-old winger is proving to be one of the Premier League’s stars of the season so far, thriving under the management of summer appointment O’Neil at Molineux. Indeed, the Wolves winger has created six goals and has scored one of his own, placing him joint top of the assists chart, alongside Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier this season. That record also places Neto one higher than Tottenham’s James Maddison (five) who many people feel is the player of the season so far.

Neto’s talents have always been there, but they have only been seen in sporadic bursts throughout his four previous seasons at the club. O’Neil, though, has found a way to get the best out of the player and his incredible form has been quick to draw several admiring glances.

Indeed, Arsenal have been strongly been linked with the player once again, having tracked him for a good number of seasons. To that end, the Gunners are seeking cover and competition for star boy Bukayo Saka, who, whenever is injured, leaves a glaring hole in Mikel Arteta’s side.

To that end, Neto has a huge admirer in Arteta, who is reportedly keen to add the winger to his mix. To that end, Neto is one of four big-name stars Arsenal are reportedly looking to sign in the January window to help further their title prospects.

They are far from his only admirers, however. And Liverpool, who could soon be looking for a replacement for talismanic star Mo Salah, are also reportedly on his trail.

READ MORE: Most chances created in Premier League table: Wolves star sits fourth

Liverpool and Arsenal warned off ‘incredible’ Pedro Neto transfer

Any deal is unlikely, however, to come cheap. The five-times capped Portugal international is contracted to Wolves until 2027 and the Molineux men have made it clear that Neto is key to their hopes.

Having already offloaded a number of big names over the summer in Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes, the Old Gold are determined to resist all offers for Neto.

Indeed, O’Neil was a guest on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, and the form of Neto drew some huge praise from an impressed Jamie Carragher.

And when presenter Dave Jones asked O’Neil if he had a message over the star and his future, O’Neil offered a pretty firm rebuttal to the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.

“He’s been incredible, Jamie,” O’Neil said. “And not just – he has massive quality as you can see [here in the win against Manchester City] and you see every week; the way he trains and the way he’s been buying into everything I’ve asked of him in possession, out of possession; the way he drives to improve, the way he sets standards.”

When asked about his future, O’Neil added: “He’s incredibly happy at Wolves. He’s enjoying his football, he’s rediscovered some fantastic form.

“He’d had a tough couple of years with injury and form, and he’s performing at his best. So he’s incredibly settled, happy at the club, and we’re going to try and help him achieve some big things while he’s here.”

Neto needs to add more goals to his name

If there is one area of improvement for Neto, it would be in his goals scored column. To date, he has 12 strikes in 120 appearances for Wolves (10 goals in 100 Premier League games) and that output must be his next area on which to improve on.

For now, though, Wolves clearly have a player who is developing nicely and clearly enjoying his football – and that all appears to be down to O’Neil.

Given the valuation on his head of £50m-plus, it would take a huge offer for Wolves to cash in during the January window. As it stands, Wolves will not want that to happen, nor would entertain any such offers, with the player a key figure for the club and their prospects of finishing as high up the table as possible.

Asked about where they can finish this season, a coy O’Neil added: “I don’t like to set out my stall. I just want the players to improve each day, each game, and take on board the instructions I am trying to get over to them.”

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