Manchester City might miss out on Yan Diomande, but have an alternative on their radar who previously impressed Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City are in the market for a new wide player amid continued speculation about Savinho, who is wanted by Tottenham Hotspur.
City currently have Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo as their main options, with Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki also able to play out wide if needed, although both are better centrally.
The likes of Nico Gonzalez, Mateo Kovacic, Tijjani Reijnders and Rico Lewis are among the Man City players who could reportedly leave this summer 🤨
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Jack Grealish could yet be kept around, but City arguably do need one more player to come in. Especially if Omar Marmoush leaves, which would potentially see Semenyo get more minutes through the middle.
Yan Diomande has been heavily linked with City, but reports are indicating he could be off to Real Madrid.
But City have now been linked with a move for Pedro Neto (via Daily Mail), who has actually caught Pep Guardiola’s eye a couple of times previously.
What Pep Guardiola said about Pedro Neto as Man City show eye Yan Diomande alternatives
City are showing interest in Neto, along with Liverpool and sides in Saudi Arabia.
Neto joined Chelsea in the summer of 2024 after a successful spell at Wolves.
Of course, he has worked with Enzo Maresca, who mainly used him as a right winger during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea apparently think they could fetch a big fee for Neto given the lack of top-quality wingers currently on the market, although they aren’t actively looking to sell.
| Pedro Neto club career stats |
| Total Appearances – 259 |
| Clubs – 4 (Braga, Lazio, Wolves, Chelsea) |
| Goals – 36 |
| Assists – 47 |
It remains to be seen if City will try to get involved, with Diomande looking likely to join Real Madrid.
But one man who may well back a move for Neto is former City boss Pep Guardiola, who has praised the Portuguese on a number of occasions.
He called him ‘an incredible player’ in 2021, as per football.london.
Then in 2023, City lost to Wolves in the league, and Guardiola said (via mancity.com): “In the transitions, Neto was better than us. They beat us in that position not because we were disorganised, but they were better in that position than we could defend well.”
Neto did well under Maresca, scoring 15 goals and making 12 assists in 77 appearances. That’s the most goals and assists combined that he’s managed under any manager he’s had in his career so far.
The added attraction with Neto is that he is capable of playing on both wings to a fairly similar level. That versatility would be very nice for Maresca to have.
While Diomande looks like he’ll join Real Madrid, Chelsea would surely be demanding a somewhat similar fee – it’s just whether City will see value in it.
