Liverpool have reportedly initiated contact over the possible signing of a player from a Premier League rival this summer.
According to GIVEMESPORT, the Reds have spoken to the representatives of Wolves forward Pedro Neto to discuss the possibility of a transfer to Anfield, with a ‘growing expectation’ that his agent Jorge Mendes ‘will push for his client to secure an eye-catching move’.
Although the 24-year-old still has three years remaining on his contract at Molineux, Arne Slot is ‘seriously contemplating’ making an offer for the Portugal international, who’s open to a new challenge and is valued at £60m by his current employers.
Mendes already has two clients at Liverpool in Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, the latter of whom was signed from Wolves four years ago and has proven to be a tremendous acquisition.
Neto has won plenty of acclaim for his dynamic performances in England since coming to Molineux in 2019, but his output is rather underwhelming for a forward, with just 11 goals in 111 Premier League appearances and three in 24 games in all competitions last season (Transfermarkt).
His overall tally would surely have been higher had it not been for two serious injuries during his time in the Black Country, although that in itself could be a red flag, especially considering how threadbare a squad we had for a period earlier this year.
Also, in comparison to positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past 12 months, the 24-year-old ranks highly for assists (top 1%) and progressive carries (top 6%) per 90 minutes, but doesn’t stand out for any other underlying performance attributes (FBref).
Taking all that into account, we’d consider Neto to be something of a gamble, especially if Wolves are unflinching with their £60m asking price. However, if Richard Hughes and Slot see something in him which could make a big difference at Anfield, we won’t question their judgement.
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