Al Hilal agreement ends Manchester City's pursuit of Chelsea winger Pedro Neto

Manchester City have dropped their pursuit of Chelsea winger Pedro Neto after Al Hilal reached an agreement with the London club, according to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari. The Saudi Pro League side have agreed both personal and club-to-club terms for the 26-year-old, effectively ending City’s interest.

City had been monitoring Neto as a potential addition under new manager Enzo Maresca, who worked with the Portuguese winger during his time at Stamford Bridge. The move would have represented a reunion, but Al Hilal’s swift agreement has closed off that avenue.

Longari also noted that City’s Brazilian winger Savinho — heavily linked with Tottenham Hotspur — had been considered as a potential makeweight in any deal for Neto, suggesting City had explored multiple routes to securing the signing before stepping away.

Neto joined Chelsea in 2024 from Wolverhampton Wanderers following three injury-disrupted seasons at Molineux. He managed to stay fit across his first two campaigns at Stamford Bridge, making 51 and 52 appearances respectively, but struggled for consistency and end product — scoring just 19 goals across those 103 outings without ever fully establishing himself on either flank.

With Chelsea having signed Morgan Rogers and new head coach Xabi Alonso expected to favour a back-three system, Neto’s path to regular first-team football at the club looks uncertain. Transfermarkt values the winger at €60 million. FourFourTwo understands Chelsea are more open to selling Neto than they are to parting with Enzo Fernandez, whom Maresca is also keen to bring to City.

Al Hilal are simultaneously in talks with Aston Villa over striker Ollie Watkins, with Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen — also a reported Arsenal target — described as the Saudi club’s preferred striking option.

Maresca’s City began their new era with a 3-0 FA Cup defeat to Premier League champions Arsenal, underlining the scale of the rebuild required following Pep Guardiola’s departure. Chelsea, meanwhile, open their Premier League campaign against Fulham this weekend.