Arsenal's hopes of capturing Pedro Neto in a blockbuster deal from Wolves this summer may have already been given a boost - as the Portuguese winger has previously admitted that the Gunners were his "favourite club" growing up.
Mikel Arteta's side have spent significantly in the transfer market already this summer in a bid to muscle their way back into the Premier League's top-four. The Londoners have splashed out big money on deals for Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira while Marquinhos and Matt Turner have also been acquired.
Arsenal's new recruits have made an instant impact at the Emirates, with the Gunners currently top of the league after winning their opening three matches of the season. But Arteta is still in the market for signings, with a winger thought to be the Spaniard's most pressing priority.
A host of widemen have been linked with the Londoners in recent weeks, including Villarreal hotshot Yeremy Pino and PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo.
However, a new report from The Athletic has revealed that Arsenal are in talks over a deal for Neto, who has emerged as the club's 'top priority' ahead of the September 1 deadline - and the Wolves star could struggle to turn down the chance to join the team he admired growing up.
“When I was a kid, my favourite team in England was Arsenal,” Neto explained in an interview with talkSPORT back in 2020. “Arsenal, yeah, because with Arsene Wenger I thought [even though] they didn’t win trophies, they played very good football.”
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Neto has made big impact in the Midlands since he moved to the Premier League from Braga three years ago - even though winger missed the majority of last season with a serious knee injury. Neto has still managed to clock up 11 goals and 12 assists in 95 appearances for Wolves.
Although Arsenal are keen to strike a deal for Neto, Wolves are currently in a strong bargaining position. The forward penned a new long-term deal tying him to Molineux until the summer of 2027 back in March, while the club have just raked in £42million from the sale Morgan Gibbs-White.
Nicolas Pepe's uncertain future could also be another obstacle for Arsenal in their bid to prise Neto away from Wolves. The Gunners' club record signing is still on the books in north London even though he does not appear to feature in Arteta's plans.
It has previously been claimed that Arsenal's hopes of signing a new forward will hinge on whether or not they can offload the Ivorian winger, who has been linked with a loan switch to Nice.
