Chelsea star emerges as Serie A target after £54m deal opens door to Man Utd title tilt
Chelsea signing Pedro Neto from Wolves for £54m could pave the way for Raheem Sterling’s exit from Stamford Bridge, and it’s claimed Juventus are interested in bringing the England international to Turin.
The Blues have completed the shock signing of Neto with Fabrizio Romano revealing that despite the lack of links with the Portugal international – who got three goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season – he was ‘top of the list’ for Chelsea.
The 24-year-old joins Sterling, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku as options on the wing for new manager Enzo Maresca, while Nicolas Jackson was also used in that role at times by Mauricio Pochettino last term.
They’re overburdened in those forward positions, as they are everywhere, and Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claims Juventus could alleviate their concerns as the Serie A giants ‘inquire’ about the winger.
He wrote: ‘Sterling would become an incoming opportunity because Chelsea in his own role are buying another player, the Portuguese Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton: a situation that could lead the former Manchester City to leave Stamford Bridge to move elsewhere.
‘Certainly if Juve were to decide to bet on Sterling it would not have an easy life: there will certainly be a lot of competition and not only in the Premier League. In Italy, however, the Bianconeri are already inquiring to understand the conditions and feasibility of a possible operation.’
Juventus are thought to want to bring in two forwards this summer, one of whom they hope to be Fiorentina star Nico Gonzalez, while Sterling is being considered to be the second addition along with Porto’s Francisco Conceicao and Jadon Sancho.
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The Old Lady want to replace Federico Chiesa, whom they’re desperate to be rid of with just one year remaining on his contract.
They’ve significantly reduced their demands for the Italy international, who may now be available for just £15m, an extraordinary price given he was linked with £100m moves to the Premier League less than three years ago.
Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked and ex-Red Devils star Louis Saha reckons his former club should be targeting the 26-year-old, who “is the type of player who could get United into the title race”.
“Manchester United should go and sign Federico Chiesa from Juventus,” Saha said. “I love him as a player, he is so passionate and will cause plenty of trouble for the opposition whether he is at the top of his game or not.
“He always tries to upset the opposition and he would be a great target for United. They have creative players, but none that can match what he can do.
“Another player I love is [Barcelona-bound] Dani Olmo, who proved how good he was at Euro 2024, these are the types of players that United need, those who take risks and make life much easier for strikers.
“Alejandro Garnacho did so well last year but he’s so young and had to play almost every minute. If you have others you can keep him fresh. Chiesa is the type of player who could get United into the title race, Erik ten Hag needs to be looking at players like him.”
